


A Shevine Collection

by Shell_LA



Category: The Voice RPF
Genre: Ficlets, M/M, Shevine, prompts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-04
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-28 02:20:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 56,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2715362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shell_LA/pseuds/Shell_LA
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam and Blake stories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ice Bucket Challenge

**Author's Note:**

> After a nightmarish few weeks, I’m back. I had email/account issues, blah blah blah…basically I’m having to repost all my work. Sorry for vanishing, I’ll try to get everything sorted.

“J-Jesus…” Adam’s oath was almost unintelligible through the chattering of his teeth. He could hear the ice crunching behind him under Carson and Blake’s shoes, and he quickly made his way back to the coaches’ area where he knew some towels were waiting. 

The singer trotted over to the tent covered area and snatched up a folded towel off one of the service tables, wrapping it around himself as he shivered. He stood there waiting for a minute for Blake to catch up. His tell-tale laugh was getting louder, so the younger man knew Blake was following. 

Sure enough, he rounded the corner moments later, a hand running through his dampened locks. Adam’s chest tightened, and it wasn’t just from the cooler temperature. He raked his eyes over the lengthy form of his country singer; the water had let the man’s clothes cling a little tighter to him than usual, and it was providing Adam a rare opportunity to see a little more of Blake in public than was usually permitted. 

“I blame you for this.” Adam’s voice was a little higher than normal thanks to being doused in ice water, and Blake had noticed if his smirk was any indication. Bastard. 

“C’mon Adam,” Blake chuckled. “It was for charity. Ya know the fans will love it.”

Adam rolled his eyes, and pulled his towel a little tighter around himself as Blake drew nearer. He tried to glare up at Blake, but the way the country singer’s hair was curling under the dampness prevented him from fully managing it. He was stubborn though, pouting a little as he griped, “I wrote a check. That should’ve been enough.”

It was Blake’s turn to scoff, shaking his head as he clapped a hand onto Adam’s shoulder. “That’s not in the spirit at all, man. Where’s your enthusiasm?”

Shifting slightly, the rock star adjusted his grip on his covering to one hand, enabling him to reach out and run his fingers over the collar of Blake’s shirt. Despite the late hour, he glanced around to make sure no one was in the area before murmuring, “Well there is one thing I can get enthusiastic about right now…”

Blake’s eyes darkened, and he stepped closer to the shorter man. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Not getting a cold.” A seductive smile crept onto Adam’s features. “What do you say cowboy? Ready to help me warm up?”

“Hell yeah,” Blake said. “First thing’s first, we gotta get that wet shirt offa you. Ain’t healthy.” 

Adam shook his head, dropping his towel to grab for Blake’s hand. He yanked the taller man forwards, leading him along. “Nope. First thing is getting to your trailer. The quicker the better.”  
Though their intertwined fingers were a little chilly, Blake’s hand tightened around his as they made their way through the set. Once they entered Blake’s private area and locked the door behind them things began moving very quickly. 

Adam let out a little squeak of surprise as Blake crowded him against the wall of the trailer, already pulling Adam’s shirt over his head. The singer didn’t put up a fight, helping Blake as he manhandled him. 

Affection welled in the southerner’s chest as he saw Adam’s mussed hair become even messier after shedding his shirt. He cupped Adam’s face in his hands, leaning down to place a searing kiss on his mouth. 

Adam groaned under the kiss, and his hands went for Blake’s belt, tugging impatiently. 

“Guys? Where did you go?” 

Both men froze as they heard Carson calling distantly from outside. Blake exhaled in frustration, and Adam let his head fall onto Blake’s chest. They couldn’t catch a break. 

Blake shivered as the warmth of Adam’s breath against his skin contrasted with the cold of his clothing, and his grip on the rock star tightened for a moment more before he released the younger man. Blake stooped to pick up Adam’s shirt, which he handed to him.

“We’re coming!” Blake called as he smiled ruefully down at Adam. He tugged his icy shirt back over his head resentfully, sucking in air through his teeth as the chilly fabric made contact with his torso. 

“You’re finishing this later,” Adam hissed as he snatched coffee mugs off of the counter. “You owe me big time.”

As Blake followed Adam back out to the common area his eyes trailed down to the fabric clinging to the younger man’s form, appreciating the view. “Don’t worry Adam. I’ll have all this ice turnin’ to steam in no time.”


	2. A Message

The waves were lapping gently against the sands, and Adam was squishing his toes under the water. The sound was soothing and it had attracted him away from the festivities a few meters over. The glow of the party under the tents was causing his profile to be silhouetted against the water, and he heaved a deep sigh, rolling his shoulders as the noise from the party faded a little bit. 

He’d rolled up the bottoms of his trousers, his jacket and shoes long gone. Sitting on the sand might dampen his outfit a little bit, but it was good to just relax for a second. He’d return to the reception in a minute or two.

He’d whispered in Behati’s ear that he’d be right back, and his affection for her overwhelmed him when she had only smiled, squeezing his hand. “Whatever you need babe.” The musician had just needed a moment to take it all in.

He was a married man.

Adam was deliriously happy- really, he was. The ceremony had been perfect, and God, Behati has never looked more beautiful. The wedding was wonderful and nearly everyone he loved was there to celebrate...almost. Blake hadn’t been able to come. 

He knew that his friend was working and there was no way around it, but he had been crushed all the same when Blake had given him a sad look when he’d handed him the invitation months ago. When he’d taken Adam off to the side and explained apologetically they’d ended up having a talk, they assured each other that they were both fine, both okay, but Adam hadn’t expected it to still be aching in his chest on the big day. It was only now that he understood why it’d been so important to him.

Blake and Adam had shared something special. Before Behati, before Miranda...there had been a time when they’d been a thing. It hadn’t been an epic love or one for the ages by any means, but it was a significant love- one that would stay with Adam forever because it had changed who he was as a person. Blake had made him a better human being, had in just a few months changed fundamentally who Adam would grow to be and he was so thankful for that each and everyday. 

Blake had taught him so many things, and with both of them coming from different worlds their entanglement had left Adam still learning, still benefitting from just knowing Blake even months after their break up- if you could even call it that. They had slipped so effortlessly into being lovers and then back again into being friends that a feeling of natural progression had never left their relationship. Even though they weren’t together anymore Adam knew they’d forever be a part of each other’s lives. He needed it to be that way. They’d both moved on, obviously. 

Adam had been proud and pleased to attend Blake’s own wedding, and had watched fondly as Blake had flourished in his new commitment in life. Adam had been so hoping for Blake to be able to be here for Adam’s same step- a step he never thought he’d take in a million years, and certainly one he couldn’t have taken if he’d never known Blake. It would’ve been a blessing of sorts; it would have felt better with him there at his side as he made his own vows. He shook his head, running a hand through his hair as the warm coastal breeze ruffled his clothing. 

Adam knew he was probably being selfish and melodramatic, but he couldn’t help the way he felt. It definitely wasn’t conventional, but Blake was a life partner to him in many respects, and Adam was fierce in his belief that their bond shouldn’t be invalidated just because they were no longer romantic with one another.

He couldn’t explain it to anyone and would never attempt to do so, but right now he just desperately was wishing that his dumb cowboy could be here with him. He was family.

“Adam!”

The musician turned, standing to watch his friend Jesse walk towards him, a bright light clutched in his fist. “Your phone’s been buzzing man. Dunno if it’s important.”

Adam reaches out, taking his mobile. Jesse hovers, but doesn’t say anything as Adam’s face lights up with a blinding, exultant smile.

Text Message from: Blake Shelton ‘Proud of you...know you’ll be fine. Don’t fuck it up!’

“Let’s get back to the party man,” Adam grins, pocketing his phone.

Jesse laughs, clapping the singer on the shoulder. “Now there’s the Adam we know and love! Come on, we can really get started now.”

Adam nods as they head back towards the music and lights. 

“Yeah, we can.”


	3. Sunday Morning

It’s a sleepy Sunday. I’ve been awake for about an hour now, but have been content to drift in and out, comfortably readjusting every so often.

The room is warm, thanks to the sun streaming in, despite the fact that we’re without clothing. Being swaddled in the light cotton sheets together is our only source of cover besides one another.

Of course it helps that Blake’s curled his body against my own, relaxing me. I hum happily as his hand lightly runs down my torso to my hip, then trails up to my shoulder. The moment is sensual, one familiar to all lovers who enjoy admiring their partners body for what they are and what they can do.

His touch is smooth and soothing, and he seems to take delight in having his hands on me if his purring is anything to go by. His pleased sounds vibrate through his chest and into me, and I snuggle in close to relish the feeling. I inhale the scent of the fresh sheets, the musk from last night's activities and that smell that is just inherently Blake.

“Mornin’” he drawls sleepily. I’m lightly running my hand down one side of his neck downwards and he shivers; it’s not often he’s without a shirt of some kind so I cherish every minute of this. I look up at his sleepy face with affection- he’s freakin’ tall even lying down.

The house is quiet but in the best way possible, with only the faint sound of birds through the windowsand the dogs paws clicking around in the hallway as background noise. This moment is peaceful and completely blissful and I never want it to end.

I’m nuzzling into his neck and enjoying the scratch of his scruff when suddenly I’m struck by a playful mood.

“Hey!” He exclaims through laughter as I lick a stripe up to his ear. I laugh and bury under the sheets.

“Not so fast, you!” He dives in after me and now he’s over me, with his weight pressing down on me.

This is the best feeling in the world, I think as he smiles warmly. I reach up and wrap my arms around and clasp my hands behind his back.

“You’re my prisoner!” I proclaim triumphantly, my features moving into a falsely serious face. He only shakes his head, chuckling. 

“Darlin’ I think you’ve got that backwards.”

He places a hand to the side of my face, his gaze turning tender, before leaning down for one of the gentlest kisses I’ve ever experienced. “All the same, I’d gladly be your prisoner for the rest of my life.”

Before I can argue, I find we’re kissing again and it really doesn’t matter anymore.


	4. Bound

‘Blake Shelton spotted leaving a BDSM club in Los Angeles!’

The tagline would’ve caught anybody’s attention, Adam rationalized, but he’d still felt skeevy when he’d swiped the magazine from an empty table at Starbucks this morning. As he’d walked in and his boyfriend’s name had caught his eye, he at first didn’t believe what he was seeing. 

He’d read through the magazine with fervor, hungrily taking in any information available. Of course there wasn’t much, just the usual generic statement from an ‘unnamed source’ and the obligatory blurry photo that didn’t actually show anything.

It had still left his heart pounding though. The two friends had only started dating recently, and this was something that they had never really discussed. They’d had sex, sure, even before they were officially a thing. It had always been pretty vanilla though…amazing, definitely, but pretty run of the mill creatively. He didn’t know why the article had surprised him so much, but it had. 

He’d always assumed the southern man would have conventional tastes when it came to bedroom activities and so far he hadn’t been proven wrong. He’d never asked, but maybe he hadn’t brought it up for a reason. A small voice in his head whispered that talking about it would require sharing some of his own…preferences, something he didn’t want to scare away Blake with. Seeing the magazine article though, even if it was completely false, had him starting to challenge his own assumptions. After all, Blake had confounded every other preconceived notion Adam had held about him; who’s to say this would be any different?

Later in the evening he’d come home to find Blake singing in the bedroom, playing out a piano version of the new single he was working on. The vocalist had clenched the tabloid in his fist as shivers made their way down his spine. Blake’s deep voice crooning out lyrics always did things to him, that much would never change.

Adam was too juiced up to wait for Blake to finish so he’d ambled over and slapped the magazine onto the keys of the piano. Blake had looked up bemusedly as Adam snarked at him. “Found this today. Didn’t know you were this kinky Blake. Been hiding things from me?” 

The country singer’s eyebrows rose in surprise as he’d picked up the publication and read through the allegations. When he let out one of his big booming laughs, Adam was a bit shocked to realize he was…well… a little disappointed. 

“Adam, come on,” Blake gasped, wiping away a few tears of mirth, “I can’t even drive myself anywhere in this hell hole of a city- how would I find a sex club, much less have the balls to visit one?”

Adam smiled half-heartedly and shrugged, stepping away from his lover. “Yeah. Just thought it was funny I guess.” He hesitated a bit as the older man’s gaze followed his movements. Before he could think better of it he blurted, “Do you have any though? Kinks, I mean.” 

As those bright blue eyes looked at him he wasn’t prepared for Blake’s quick response. 

“Do you?”

Caught off guard, Adam squirmed uncomfortably. Blake watched him as he fidgeted with the sleeves of his leather jacket, almost tearing at the fabric with his fingernails as he backed himself up against the edge of the bed. 

Blake let out a low whistle. 

“Well, there’s a tell if I’ve ever seen one.” He drawled. “You do, don’t you? Is that why you brought this home?”

Adam just stared at him. He couldn’t think of a thing to say because suddenly he was feeling embarrassed. He’d definitely underestimated Blake’s insight. 

“Adam, just tell me.”

The rock star shook his head vaguely; his eyes flitting away from Blake’s face. “It’s stupid, I shouldn’t have said anything.” He ran a hand through his hair roughly, “I just thought I’d show you to get a laugh, that’s all.” 

“Bull crap. You brought it up, man. You asked me.” Blake gave the rolled up tabloid in his hand a little wave. 

Adam felt a rush of anticipation as Blake stood and began taking steps towards him. 

“Now I’m askin’ you.” Blake’s voice grew quieter, deeper as he encroached on Adam’s personal space. Was it getting hot in here?

Blake settled a large hand on Adam’s shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. “C’mon babe. You can tell me.” 

Adam knew for sure he was blushing now as Blake massaged his shoulder gently, peering down at him. “Is it this stuff?” Blake glanced back at the magazine for a second. “Do you like to be tied down? Is that it?”

Adam’s breathing became harsher and he bit his lip. He felt weirdly turned on and ashamed at the same time. 

“Yes.” He said softly. “I-I mean no. Well, I guess its part of it. I don’t know.”

Blake’s grip tightened. He looked eager. Adam was beginning to think maybe he’d misjudged his lover. Again. “Tell me. Tell me what you want Adam. What do you think about at night? What have you been keepin’ to yourself?”

“Well…when we’re together, I want…I think about…”Adam cut himself off and turned away, his face on fire. Blake latched onto his wrist, but Adam kept taking steps back. 

“I can’t just tell you! Not like this, it’ll sound weird. And stupid.” Adam’s tone was pleading. 

Blake sighed. “Well, damn. What do I have to do to get you to trust me?”

“I don’t know! Just, like….” After a second the answer came to the younger man as if by providence. “Kiss me. Just treat me like normal. It just feels unnatural right now.” 

Blake’s features shifted into an expression of comprehension. He could understand wanting something you’ve held close to your chest to happen organically- he could see now that Adam was scared that just blurting it out would ruin it for them. The country star was willing to do anything to make sure Adam’s fear didn’t become reality. 

“Come here, Adam.”

The younger man stepped forward, and was pliant as Blake prodded his lips open with his own for a deep, sensual kiss. The friction of their skin ignited desire in Blake, and he wrapped an arm around Adam’s waist to pull his lover into their kiss more.

He released Adam when he pulled back to gasp for air, but only long enough to push him onto the bed. “Take off your clothes.”

Blake was going on instinct here, hoping to play into the desires Adam was keeping to himself, and he was pleased when Adam hastened to obey. Intuition was telling him that part of Adam’s fantasy was being made to be submissive, and the country singer resolved to fulfill his lover’s wishes to the best of his ability. 

Lust burned through Blake as he watched Adam shed his clothes slowly and lie down. His eyes trailed over sinewy, muscled arms, roving over his small waist to the curve of his ass. Adam was beautiful.

Blake climbed onto the bed and straddled Adam’s hips, settling his weight over his supine lover. “Now, you gotta remember to tell me if any of this ain’t okay.”

Adam nodded up at him as he watched one of Blake’s hands splay over his ribcage, but Blake wasn’t satisfied. “I need you to promise me.”

“I promise.”

Blake unbuckled his belt and slid it off with the hand that wasn’t settled against Adam’s chest. He manhandled his younger lover until he was able to loop it through the bars of the bed frame and bind Adam’s hands. The smaller singer tugged tentatively against the restraint, and threw back his head with a moan when it didn’t give an inch. 

Christ, this was really turning him on. Blake was so much bigger than him and he was just towering over him. He could do anything he wanted to him, Adam thought, and he wouldn’t be able to move. He would just have to take it. 

“Look at you,” Blake growled as he openly leered at the rock star. Adam looked up at Blake from where he was bound with hooded eyes, gasping lightly. Blake couldn’t resist cradling one of those sharp cheekbones in his hand before gripping Adam’s chin firmly. The younger man’s eyes fluttered closed as Blake placed his thumb in Adam’s mouth, and he laved at it obscenely even as Blake tugged at his lower lip with the appendage. 

“You’re gonna be good for me aren’t you? So good…” Blake pulled away so he could start to slide his hands over Adam’s skin, just feeling. Adam arched his back wantonly, helping his lover along. 

“B-blake…please...” Adam murmured as Blake seized his hips roughly, pulling him down the sheets to stretch him out. 

“Shh honey.” Blake nuzzled his head against Adam’s toned chest, placing gentle kisses on his lover’s skin as he made his way down. The southerner paused over Adam’s thighs, paying particular attention to the connection where Adam’s leg met his hip. With a sigh, Blake put his mouth on Adam, sucking bruises into his skin.

Adam tossed his head in slight frustration, he could only stare at the ceiling and clench his hands as he endured this teasing pleasure, the sounds of Blake’s ministrations torturing him even more. He couldn’t help the keening noise that escaped him as he felt teeth. Arousal pulsed through his body. Blake was biting him. He hoped there would be marks. 

Heat burned up to Adam’s cheeks as he heard Blake breathe deeply, inhaling his scent, and oh god, Blake was finally touching him, holding Adam’s cock in his long fingers and squeezing.

“Ohhh-oh God-“ 

“Now will you tell me what you want?” Blake was whispering huskily as he caressed him. “Tell me, Adam, please tell me.”

“I…” Adam huffed, “I-I want you to choke me.”

Adam lifted his head, trying to look down to where Blake was laying over his lower half. “I want to not be able to breathe. So my body will feel what my heart does every time you so much as look at me.”

Blake listened intently as Adam bared his soul. “Force me to feel.” 

His desires exposed, Adam experienced a moment of pure terror, but it didn’t last long. Blake’s eyes seemed to ignite with fire, and the older man surged up to claim Adam’s mouth. 

Adam whined into the kiss, so eager to give Blake everything in return for this moment. 

When they broke apart, sharing breath, Blake whispered his devotion against Adam’s lips. “I think I can do that.”

Blake shed his clothing, his eyes never leaving Adam where he was bound. Kneeling back down, his hands returned to Adam’s cock, squeezing and stroking him to full hardness before he allowed one hand to prod at Adam’s hole. He rubbed one thumb around Adam’s rim with easing pressure, and was gratified by the gasps that were escaping his lover’s lips. 

“Ughh-“ Adam sounded as if he’d just been punched in the gut when Blake finally penetrated him with his long fingers, skipping directly to two scissoring digits to work Adam open. 

“Good?” Blake murmured quietly over Adam as he shoved a bit more into his boyfriend. 

“Uh…uh-huh.” Adam hummed throatily, and Blake smiled. It was a good sign when Adam lost his ability to be coherent. 

With steady patience, Blake gradually added more pressure to his preparation, adding another finger each time Adam cried out in pleasure. He was so lost in the delicious feeling of Adam clenching around his fingers that it was a while before his boyfriend’s begging for more reached his brain. 

“Patience, baby.” Blake adjusted, allowing his weight to fall onto Adam’s trapped body as he guided himself to his entrance. He heaved a steadying breath as he felt Adam’s hole flutter against the head of his cock. When he finally pushed forward, Adam produced a long, low moan, only cutting off when Blake was buried within him to the hilt. 

Since Adam was unable to reach out for him, Blake carded his fingers through the younger man’s hair as he adjusted. Adam’s pleading eyes were staring up at him, but he wasn’t letting himself continue until Adam asked for it again out loud. He had to hear it from him now, in the moment.

Adam felt completely strung out, something that always happened when Blake had him open and vulnerable, only this time it was different. This time it was peppered with anticipation and a generous amount of impatience when Blake just held himself stationary against him. 

“Do it, Blake,” Unable to take it anymore, Adam resorted to begging. “M-move, damn you. Control me.” 

Adam’s heart fluttered with excitement as he felt Blake’s hand travel up from his waist to his chest, until finally his calloused fingers closed around his throat. Another bolt of desire shot straight to Adam’s cock as Blake squeezed, cutting off his air. 

Adam sobbed with pleasure as Blake began to move, thrusting gently as he experimented with the pressure he put on his lover’s throat. Adam arched, trying to convey just how much he was into what has happening. 

Blake had never seen Adam like this before, so wanton, so helpless. Some dark, dominant side of him was burning its way to the surface as Adam succumbed to him. A primal hunger swept away Blake’s control, and he began to thrust fast and deep into Adam. 

“Y-yes, Blake-more more more-!” Adam’s pleas were cut off with the tightening of Blake’s hand again, and his smaller body flushed as Blake ravaged him. 

Adam’s hands involuntarily strained against their bindings, but he was in ecstasy. He clenched helplessly around Blake, who was in him, around him, consuming him. He tried in vain to draw a breathe, his efforts only producing a few hitching, desperate sounds as tears leaked from his eyes. Blake kissed them away as he increased his pace. 

“H-hhhgh” The rock star’s eyes began to flutter shut, sensory overload taking over. His mind latched onto extraneous sensations, the sound of Blake’s grunts, the scratch of Blake’s stubble against his skin as he bit down on his neck, Blake, Blake, Blake…

Adam’s eyes shot open as Blake hissed into his ear. 

“You’re mine, Adam. Mine. You belong to me.”

The pressure on his throat disappeared, and Adam heaved a deep gasp. His strangled sound turned to a shriek as the air returned to his body, and Adam’s back arched off the bed as he came. Blake stuttered to a stop, mesmerized by the sight of Adam completely falling to pieces beneath him. 

He watched hungrily as Adam’s body trembled with the aftershocks of his orgasm, and when it was all over Blake laid soft, comforting kisses all over his lover as a very sleepy, sated and sweaty Adam settled against the sheets with a sigh. His hands clenched up against the headboard, reflexively wanting to reach out for Blake since he was running reverential fingers through his hair. 

Adam looked up at Blake through hazy, pleasure-drunk eyes, whispering hoarsely as he tried to stretch up towards his lover. “Finish it Blake.”

When Adam stressed his demand by clenching down tightly around Blake’s cock, the older man was quick to obey. He seized Adam’s jaw, gripping it tightly to force Adam’s head back against the bed, exposing his throat.

Despite having already come, Adam seemed to be in raptures. He was moaning over Blake’s grunts of pleasure, and he canted his hips up as Blake pounded into him, trying to give Blake what he needed. With one last gentle scrape of teeth against Adam’s jugular, Blake emptied himself into his lover

The southerner’s pleasure-wracked body was exhausted, but he made sure to lay alongside Adam, reaching up and undoing the belt holding him down. He lowered Adam’s arms with great care, his fingers falling to the smaller man’s wrists to soothe the reddened skin. Adam curled into him, seeking comfort in the warmth of Blake’s chest as his hands and wrists were cradled and caressed. 

Even though he was completely wrung out, Adam still felt stirrings of pleasure when Blake’s hand ghosted over his throat and the bruising that was undoubtedly forming there.

Hazy moments drifted by. Adam had no idea how long they lay there; whether it was a few minutes or an hour. He doubted he’d ever know for sure. 

Only Blake’s voice pulled him back again, soft and earnest and sincere. “Thank you for this, Adam. For trusting me with this. I love you so, so much.”

Devotion and love welled up inside of Adam’s heart, threatening to overwhelm him. He tightened his hold on Blake, hoping it was enough to convey just how perfect he’d been, how right it’d all felt. An intimate, protected feeling stole over his mind, and he languidly tangled his limbs with Blake’s. Without another thought, Adam drifted off to sleep.


	5. The Shooting Range

“This is fucking stupid, I hope you know that.”

“Stop yer whining, just straighten it out.” Adam was fidgeting as Blake adjusted his form. Again. He tried not to squirm under the pressure the taller man was exerting on his forearms, correcting the way he was holding the killing tool- and that’s exactly what it was, Adam thought grudgingly. He wouldn’t yield on this. 

“Not that much! You gotta relax the wrist. You don’t wanna break your hand do ya?” It took nearly all of the rock star’s will power to withhold the gigantic groan of frustration he wanted to let out at that moment. 

That morning, after Adam and Blake had pigged out on breakfast tacos they’d been unable to decide what they’d wanted to do with their day off. After Blake shot down his suggestions (“What do you mean we’ve been golfing too many times?”) the southerner had been struck by an idea of his own. 

“Hey!” Blake had cried, shooting up from where they’d been splayed on the sofa, jostling Adam sideways over the cushions. “Why don’t I teach ya how to shoot? I haven’t been to the range in ages.”

Adam had folded his arms over his chest, shooting Blake a skeptical look. “I don’t think so.”

Blake’s smile fell a little. “Why not?”

Eyebrows raised, Adam spluttered a bit. “Uhh, where do I begin man?” 

He sat up a little straighter. “How about I’m not really a fan of the things? I’m really not in the mood to potentially be killed today. You may bring your Oklahoman ways with you wherever you go, but let me just remind you we are still very much in California.” 

“Pretty damn sure there are Californians who love guns too, Adam.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not one of them.” Adam sat back again and as he watched his lover give an eye roll of epic proportions he tacked on his last point. “Besides, I already know how to shoot. I learned for that music video thing years ago.”

Blake’s laugh was long and loud, and Adam clapped his hands over his ears. 

Blake’s chuckles only subsided after he caught sight of Adam’s fierce glare. His boyfriend wasn’t amused. He tried to cover a little. “I’m sorry, Adam,” Blake cleared his throat. “It’s just, ah, I’ve been on shoots where guns were props and uhh… that ain’t how you handle a gun. That’s showmanship, pure and simple.”

Adam stood indignantly, almost stepping on Bones who was dozing peacefully at their feet. “Nu-uh! The dude who showed me was the real deal!”

Blake smiled up at his little rock star, affectionate despite the circumstances. He’d never tell Adam because it’d probably get him a punch in the arm, but he found it adorable when the LA local got mad. 

“Okay, so prove it.” Blake stood, mirroring Adam’s stance. “Let’s go, and you’ll show me up good, and then I’ll be sorry, and I’ll buy you dinner for your trouble.” 

Adam’s expression shifted to surprise as Blake stuck out a hand. “Deal?”

Blake made sure to school his features as Adam deliberated, staring down at his offered hand. Bones whined a little in his sleep, rolling over to lay on Adam’s feet. The shorter man sighed. “…Fine. But we’re going to Spago after.” 

Blake nodded happily, and he’d run off to grab his things while Adam put the dogs out. 

Thirty minutes into their session Adam was sincerely regretting his decision to let Blake have the run of the day. He should’ve known the second they showed up at the shooting range, when Blake had enthusiastically greeted the guy behind the counter, a monster of a man, bald headed and drenched in camo. 

He’d hovered back a few steps uncertainly, and a little anger burned through his chest when the owner leveled him with an amused expression as Blake turned his back on him to gesture Adam forward. 

Chin raised, he’d made sure his grip was iron when they shook hands and did his best to cover as Blake asked him what gun he wanted to try. He didn’t have a fucking clue. 

“I thought I was shooting yours?” Adam asked, thinking on his feet. 

Blake nodded. “Yep, that’s fine. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t have a preference or anything.” He turned to the man. “We’ll take one lane, 3 hours to be safe.”

Adam looked up at Blake. “Three? Are we really going to be here that long?” 

Blake shrugged. “Time goes by quick in there, you’d be surprised.”

Blake took up their things, and Adam grabbed the PPE and earplugs from the station at the end of the counter, trying not to mope visibly. The muffled popping noises of gunfire grew louder as they stepped into the buffer room. This part at least Adam knew, and he shrugged on his glasses and ear ware. 

Adam’s eyes flitted over the people they crossed as they made their way down the lanes, and he was surprised by the types he saw shooting. There were all kinds inside, and his eyes widened as he even saw a tiny slip of a girl shooting what had to be the most badass looking rifle he’d ever seen in real life. Blake didn’t even seem to notice, ambling past casually. 

They reached their lane, and Adam tried not to feel useless as he watched his boyfriend unload his bag and set everything out on the bar. He struggled to listen over the constant sound of gunfire as Blake walked him through the terminology, and how to load the gun, and really started to feel out of his depth when the safety finally came off Blake’s handgun. 

His instructor had never mentioned a bunch of the stuff Blake had rattled off. Maybe it had been all Hollywood bullshit after all. He was relieved at least that Blake was taking it all very seriously, explaining everything in great detail. His cowboy really knew his stuff. 

“Okay, Adam. You ready?” Blake clicked the safety back on and handed the gun to Adam, who took it automatically. Adam stared down at it, gauging the weight of it in his hands as Blake slid a target sheet onto the wire clasp and rolled it back down the lane. He didn’t feel ready. 

He centered himself, raising the gun, taking a breath as he readied to take off the safety-

“What’re ya doing?” 

Adam tried not to jump as Blake hovered over his shoulder. “ If you go at it like that the kickback is gonna make you punch yourself in the face. You need to use both hands.”

“Right. Yeah, I know, I was just…testing it.” Adam was not blushing. He wasn’t. Blake got closer, and Adam froze as he wrapped his arms over his own, guiding his hands. All of a sudden he felt like he was going to blush for an entirely different reason as Blake’s gentle hands ghosted over his own to place them precisely on the grip of the weapon. 

When Blake stepped away again it took him a second to remember what he was doing. He gathered himself, making sure to stare through the line of sight on the barrel, breathed in deeply…and fired. 

Blake was ready and waiting as Adam crashed back into his chest, his hands gripping Adam’s shoulders to steady him. “Fuck!” Adam gasped.

“Yep.” Blake hummed, clapping Adam on the shoulder. “We gotta work on your form.”

As Blake’s hands fell from the fabric of his motorcycle jacket down to his hips, Adam was soon too distracted to be embarrassed. Blake’s grip was firm as he fixed his lover’s position. “You need to line yourself up like this…and widen your stance. Plant your feet farther apart so you’re ready for the recoil.”

Adam did as he was told, focusing on how Blake’s soft, deep tone of voice calmed him down. He shuffled his feet apart and Blake stepped away to give Adam space as he did the rest of his instructing. 

Another shot fired- and another epic miss on his part- had Blake back into stern teacher mode, and Adam’s mood soured as reprimands came hard and fast. He couldn’t seem to get it right, only punching holes through the edge of the target sheet. Time seemed to inch along at a glacial pace, and Adam was just about ready to call it quits when Blake stepped forward again. 

“Are you even having fun?” His question was covered with a tone of insecurity, and all of a sudden Adam felt like an asshole. Blake was trying to share this experience with him, show him something that he truly loved to do, and Adam couldn’t get the hang of it. 

The rock star lowered the gun and set it down on the bar, turning to look at Blake. As he stared into his lover’s big blue eyes, observing their subdued, saddened hue, he felt ashamed.

Adam knew they were as different as night and day, and Blake had been trying his damndest since they’d become an item to get to know the things Adam loved, to try and love them too. Because he loved Adam. He’d been transplanted from his home state, had left his old house to come and live with Adam all to show him that he thought they were the real deal. 

With a burst of determination, Adam resolved in that moment to do the same. He was going to make this work if it killed him, because Blake was well worth it. They may be from different worlds, but they were fucking made for each other. 

“Yeah, I am.” Adam smiled up at Blake, stepping forward to run a hand over the collar of Blake’s shirt. He continued softly, gazing up at his boyfriend. “I may be absolute shit at this…but you’re here, trying to fix this hopeless case, and that’s more than enough to make this an awesome day.” 

His big idiot grinned at him fondly, leaning down to kiss him soundly on the mouth. “I’m glad. But you’re not hopeless, Adam. You just need practice is all.” He reached forward to pick up the gun, placing it in Adam’s hands once again. “Let’s try again.”

Adam relished the seconds Blake spent readjusting him, moving his body so he was aligned correctly, and readied himself to go again. His resolve calmed his brain, and he found himself utterly focused. Suddenly, his mind made the jump to attention, much like the way it was during his yoga practice. He made minute checks on his form and pulled the trigger without a flinch of fear this time. 

His body was ready for the kickback, and he knew not to brace for it. He absorbed the impact and fired again and again. In what felt like seconds he was out of ammunition. 

“Hell yeah!” Blake whooped behind him, and Adam was shaken out of his trance, looking up at the paper in surprise. There were holes all along the center circle, right at the heart of the target sheet. 

He let out an exultant laugh, turning to high five Blake. “Yes!”

The country singer made a show of clapping for his boyfriend, and Adam responded in kind, bowing and preening obnoxiously to the sound of Blake’s laughter. “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about! You were holding out on me, huh?”

Adam shrugged nonchalantly, his trademark cockiness back in full force. “What can I say? Didn’t wanna show up my favorite sharp shooter.”

Blake shook his head. “C’mere you loser, congratulations are in order.”

Blake pulled the shorter man forward, laying a deep kiss on Adam that he felt all the way to his toes. When Blake pulled away, he licked his lips dazedly. 

“Well, now that that’s settled, I believe I owe you dinner.”

Adam let his fingers thread through Blake’s curls, humming happily. “Actually…I think I kinda want to keep going. We have this place for a while, yeah?”

Blake smiled. “Yeah.”


	6. Haunted

“Goddamnit!”

Blake was hit again by the swinging porch door, a deafening thwack echoing through the cavernous living room as the thing slammed shut. He rubbed his elbow in annoyance, hissing in pain. 

He was new in town, and was trying to move into his new house…well, if one could call this place a house he thought to himself as he looked around in amazement for the sixth time that day. Last month his life had changed forever. He’d been struggling in Nashville, trying to make it as a singer songwriter when one of the biggest names in the business had heard him at some hole in the wall and signed him the next day. 

It’d all been an exciting, unbelievable blur and now he was in Los Angeles of all places, set to start working on his new album with some of the most amazing people in the industry. Being a thoroughly country kid, he’d been overwhelmed with the move and the city in general and hadn’t known where to start. The label and his newly hired manager had helped him acquire his house, a beautiful place in the hills just minutes away from downtown. 

It was a sprawling home, with lots of bright windows, an open floor plan and a Mediterranean vibe, but what had really grabbed Blake’s eye was the price. He hadn’t understood why the property was so much cheaper than everything else in the neighborhood but he hadn’t thought to question it. Now he wished he had.

As the singer set down a few more boxes he looked around warily, half expecting something to jump out at him. Some weird stuff had been happening ever since he’d started to move in, and he was wondering if maybe the place was cursed.   
…

Adam was hovering angrily. Who the fuck was this guy moving into his home? Who did he think he was? The frame of the house groaned under the weight of his fury, but he faded out of sight as the intruder looked around nervously. He didn’t want to give away his advantage quite yet. 

Adam was tired of this shit. People had been trying to come into his house and live there for years now, but he had managed to scare off every single one of them. He didn’t like the look of this one though, and he was anxious to get him going as soon as possible. Adam began to formulate his plan of attack. He’d learned long ago that the trick to spooking out unwanted houseguests whilst not using up all of his energy was to be subtle.

If he stormed out all his anger with one messy fit, people typically would write it off as a freak incident and he’d be too worn out to correct their misguided assumption until it was too late to compound the fear factor. Instead, it was best to use his energy on smaller things that drove humans absolutely crazy. 

Flickering lights, scratching sounds in the dark, and moving people’s stuff were all great ways to make the losers think they were going insane. After some messy trial and error it’d worked like a charm. So far Adam had been able to scare out nine couples. Nine! However, part of his worry about this guy was that he was obviously alone. Going without the usual way he’d play people off of each other would make things difficult, but not impossible. He had work to do.   
…

Blake had been having a hard time. In addition to trying to adjust to the culture shock of living in LA now, he was experiencing trouble in his new house. It turned out that the things he’d been hearing on move in day were not in fact his imagination because once he’d unpacked everything and all the boxes had been carted away things had began…happening. 

He struggled to come up with legitimate reasons for why his car keys would always be in the wrong place, or why his dryer would always stop mid cycle with a deafening bang. One high light of the weirdness was how the lights would flicker, and when he walked through the house sometimes he felt as though one spot or another was at least ten degrees below room temperature. 

His frustration and uneasiness built up over the course of several weeks, he couldn’t seem to figure out what the hell was going on. On the positive side though, his progress on his album was awesome, and he was having a hell of a time in the studio throwing around ideas and showing the other musicians what he’d come up with so far in addition to the lyrics he’d been carrying around in a notebook for years

He tried his damndest to focus on these good things whenever he came home to yet another broken dish on the floor, or when he woke up thinking he’d heard muttering by his bed. Ignoring the problem only worked for so long though, and eventually his hellish inhabitance would show its ugly side again. 

Blake had been running errands all day and had walked through the front door carrying groceries. He’d been thoroughly exhausted, and so he’d kicked the door shut behind him. It slammed quite loudly, and Blake winced at the noise. Immediately following the sound, the windows in the foyer creak and crackle as if pressurized, and Blake thinks that he might be a going little nuts because he feels a vibe of…anger in the room. His pulse is elevated, and he’s thoroughly creeped out. 

Blake tries his best to brush it off though, and sets about putting everything away. 

He’s a grown man, he reminds himself as he stores food in the fridge, and quite a sizeable one at that. Someone would have to be pretty big to overpower him. He squares his shoulders and shakes his head at his silliness, determined to not give in to paranoid thoughts. 

It’s out of his hands later in the night though, because as Blake is lying in bed trying to doze off a sudden shot of cold ices its way through his blood. The country singer yelps, and pulls his covers up to his chest at the sensation and he looks around in alarm.

Then, Blake freezes. 

He gasps in fear, rubbing one of his eyes with a fist to wipe the sleep away. “Wha…?” He mumbled, “I gotta be seein’ things…”

A man was floating in front of his bed. Well, maybe not a man, it looked like an older teenager possibly. A very pale one. The kid was glowing and his face was graced with one of the saltiest scowls he’d seen in a long while; a pair of arms folded angrily over his chest completed the disgruntled look. Staring dumbfounded at the person for a minute lets his eyes adjust, and he realizes he can see his wardrobe on the other side of the room with no problem. The dude is see-through.

“Okay Blake. You’ve obviously lost your mind.” Blake said aloud to himself weakly, not taking his eyes off the thing. To his astonishment the image lets out a harsh laugh, one that sent a prickling sensation down the country singer’s spine. That certainly sounded real. 

“Oh, no. You’re sane all right. Just a monumental prick.” The kid bit out as he hovered threateningly. 

Blake shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut tight. He must be dreaming. With a groan of exhaustion he gave up trying to understand. Hell, he might as well go along with it. “What are you?”

The image scoffed. “Wow, you’re stupid too. Amazing. What do I look like jackass? I’m a spirit, and you’re in my fucking house. I want you out!” 

With this exclamation the windowpanes shuddered dangerously in the bedroom, and the curtains began to blow around despite there being no wind or force to push them. Blake threw up a hand towards the specter, alarmed. “Whoa whoa, easy man! Just calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down! I’ve been calm; been at it for weeks and I still see your stupid face lingering around here all the time. When will you just leave already?” 

Blake pauses, “Hold on. You’re the one who’s been messin’ with my stuff?” The vocalist lets out an incredulous laugh, and to say the image is confused by this reaction would be an understatement. This wasn’t how these things usually went. His confidence was shaken a little bit in the face of this man’s lack of terror, and he swayed uncertainly in the air. 

“Whew,” The man sighs. “I thought I’d been goin’ crazy for a while there. That’s a relief.” He gives the ghost a long, searching look. “What’s your name?”

Adam is flabbergasted. He’s not here to make friends, but he hasn’t encountered something so conventional as an introduction to a human being in so long that he’s a little disarmed. Manners can kick in before he can remember his plan, and he utters his name automatically. 

“Well Adam, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Blake.” Blake sits up a bit in bed, sliding over to turn on his lamp before pausing and thinking better of it. He didn’t know what the light would do to Adam after all. “Look. Obviously there are some issues I’ve stepped into, buying this place. I don’t want to start nothin’, but I did buy the property fair and square. I’m not unreasonable though, and where I come from hospitality is kind of a thing. How about this: why don’t we give cohabitatin’ a shot? This place is fairly large, and I’m certain there’s room enough for two…uh…individuals. Whaddya say?”

Adam is so caught off guard he can’t think of a thing to say in the face of this…this…kindness. With a confused, indignant huff he fades from view, leaving Blake alone again in his room. As the air warms slightly Blake shakes his head at the improbability of it all. No one would ever believe him. 

“Sounds like a yes to me.” He mutters to himself sleepily, and thinks no more of it for the night. 

…

Blake is frustrated beyond belief because he’s late for a run through and he can’t find his goddamn keys anywhere. He knows that ghastly nuisance has taken them, but he won’t dignify the rudeness with any kind of response- he has a feeling that negativity is what fuels Adam’s ghostly flame. Instead he takes a deep breath and plops down with his instrument right in the living room. He can play here just as well. 

The twanging of the guitar fills house as he plucks a few strings, echoing a bit thanks to the high ceilings. The gentle strumming warmed the room, and Blake sighed with pleasure at the sound. He eased into a gentle melody, pairing chords and humming along as he tried to figure out where this song was going. 

After a minute or two of repeating the chorus, trying to gauge his progress, Blake shivered. It was a familiar sensation, a localized drop in temperature that let him know Adam was near, lingering. He didn’t say anything though, because this was perhaps the first time that he had sensed the phantom without there being any negativity or anger accompanying the presence. 

Adam was watching, floating just beside Blake. He couldn’t describe the feeling going through him right then, but if he were still alive he imagined that there might be tears coming from his eyes. He hadn’t heard music, real live music in such a long time…not since…

He floated a bit closer, leaning into to watch Blake skillfully play out a song on the guitar. He felt a grudging respect start to edge its way into his brain; this hick really knew what he was doing, Adam had to give him that. He almost froze in surprise when the man began to sing. His voice was deep, and the sound of it seemed to penetrate into Adam’s chest. The song was gentle and sincere, and the authenticity of the words Blake was crooning reminded him of his own lyrics, ones he’d spent so much time on when he was alive. What a waste all of that had turned out to be…

Each note pierces Adam’s being, and he feels as though they’re healing him, bringing him back and soon enough he materializes, startling Blake enough to halt the music. 

“You’re a musician?” Adam can’t help but gush breathlessly. He winces a little at how earnest he sounds, and wishes he could take the words back. 

“Yep,” Blake hums, and his nonchalance whilst speaking to Adam still confounds the ghost. The lack of fear spikes nostalgia in Adam’s heart. He’d forgotten what it was like to be treated normally, to not be faced with fear the moment someone laid eyes on him. 

The feeling eradicates a few of his inhibitions and before he can stop himself he’s sharing. It’s been so long, and he’s been lonely. “I was in a band. Back when I was alive.” 

Blake looks up, listening intently. “You were? What did you play?”

Adam fidgets a little, looking at the guitar wistfully. “I could play the guitar well enough, and I loved the drums…but singing was my thing. I loved to sing.” 

The country singer smiles at that, very familiar with the love of music Adam was exhibiting. “What were ya’ll called?”

“We were Maroon 5. Weird name, I know. But it worked for us. We’d actually just gotten signed, we were gonna make it big. We were about to…to…” Adam trails off, and Blake looks around in alarm as the walls begin to shake. Wind is whipping through the house, tossing throw pillows and magazines onto the floor. He calls Adam’s name, yelling at him to calm down, but the ghost had disappeared. 

Blake was thoroughly creeped out as he heard a distant, ghostly wail before everything became still once again. “Damn,” he muttered under his breath, trying to shake away the chills. “What the hell happened to you?”

He puts his guitar carefully away, unsure if playing anymore would be the safest thing. None of his stuff is moved anymore after that.   
…

Whatever Blake had learned about Adam over the course of the past few months had stemmed from very casual, very surreptitious glances whenever he thought he could get away with it. He tried his best to detect how the whole spirit thing worked whenever he spotted him since he certainly couldn’t ask him directly. What Blake had gathered so far wasn’t much, but it was all adhering to a specific pattern. 

Generally speaking, when the ghost was angry or upset he looked more solid, more life like, and when he was just floating around being benevolent he was more translucent, sometimes so light that Blake couldn’t see him at all. It took some kind of interaction for the spirit to corporialize fully, and oftentimes Blake would feel his presence but not be able to see him. This put the country singer on edge, since he knew Adam had to be around. He tried not to think about it, particularly when he was in the shower. 

He shouldn’t have worried though, because ever since he’d revealed his musical background the ghost had stopped antagonizing him. His possessions were no longer going missing, and in actuality possessions that he hadn’t been able to find were popping up in convenient places. There had even been once incident where he’d been struggling to reach something that had fallen over in the back of a tall cabinet, and it had rolled forward just as Blake grabbed for it. Blake had smiled, murmuring a quiet thank you that received no reply.

Ever since the epic overreaction to their conversation about music, Blake had been consumed with thoughts about what had happened to the singer. Something bad must have occurred to make the ghost so angry and so...well…ghostly. He doesn’t say anything out loud for fear of sparking more outbursts, but scenarios burn through his brain and inspire a proliferation of lyrics. 

Weeks pass, and it’s not long before he has in his hands a generous number of fully fleshed out songs. When he brings them in for recording it’s clear the label thinks they’ve struck a creative jackpot; they are effusive in their praise, convinced that every track he records will be a hit. Blake is happy for the support, but he is less certain. 

…

“That was amazing.” Blake looked up and was not at all surprised to see Adam hanging there in the air. The cold that he’d become acclimated to over these months had intensified halfway through the song, so Blake had guessed Adam was listening. Live music always drew the spirit near. 

“I wrote it for you Adam.” Blake said to the ghost, who appeared to be in raptures as the last notes hung in the air. A pregnant pause filled the room, and Blake held his breath as he waited for a response. 

“What is it called?” He breathed.

“Haunted.” Blake said, hoping that Adam wouldn’t be offended. Luckily it only garnered a rueful chuckle from the spirit, who swayed in the air slightly. “Should’ve guessed something like that, the lyrics were certainly a clue.”

“Yeah, well. I guess you inspired me.” Blake started to pack away his guitar, pretending not to notice the look of longing Adam was giving it. “It’s dedicated to you, ya know. In the credits.”

Adam’s gaze shot up to Blake’s face, his surprise evident. Then, to Blake’s amazement Adam began to…well, not color exactly, but the area around his cheeks and neck were growing more opaque than the rest of him. Was the spirit blushing?

Blake had never seen Adam look so…there. He couldn’t help noticing his eyes. They were so bright, even in his semi-corporeal form, and they were fixed on Blake intently. The ghost looked like he was suffering under some great burden, and another shiver shook it’s way down Blake’s body.

“You asked before… about what happened to me.” Adam said quietly. It took all his strength not to flinch away when Adam reached for him hesitantly. He knew it was going to be cold and the anticipation was killing him. He drew a quick breath as he felt Adam’s fingers go through his shoulder but instead of the expected frigidity he was blindsided by an onslaught of images. 

It was like their places had been switched because the first thing Blake noticed was that he could see through his hands. He’d thrown them in front of his face when colors had flown past his line of sight, and instead of helping him stabilize they just hung there. See-through. 

The vocalist tried not to panic, and looked up to observe his surroundings more thoroughly. To his relief he saw Adam. Only… it was the real Adam, filled with color and vitality and life. His heart clenched because, well- Adam was beautiful, it was undeniable as he looked at the younger man in all his glory. He was with a group of guys, all crammed into what looked like a business office. Blake could see a breath taking view of Los Angeles out the window, and Adam was fidgeting with excitement along with his mates. There was a person behind a desk in the room, a polished professional looking man that Blake thought looked vaguely familiar. With a jolt of shock he realized it was one of the executives from his own label! When he began to speak frustration welled up in Blake because he couldn’t hear anything- it was like a silent movie. 

Adam and another one of his compatriots spoke with the executive before he shook hands with each of the guys, big smiles being sported all around the room. This must be Adam’s band, Blake thought. The day they were signed. The memory must’ve been one of Adam’s fondest, because Blake had never before seen this kind of happiness in the spirit that now haunted his home. 

The singer felt a shift, almost like he was falling over, and the scene faded into a different one. It was nighttime on a residential street, the lane lined with palm trees, full of passing cars despite very clearly being a neighborhood. Blake looked around in confusion until he spotted the same group of guys walking down the street, messing around and shoving each other playfully as they walked. 

It was a second before he caught sight of Adam straggling behind, and he experienced an inexplicable flip-flopping feeling in his stomach when he saw that Adam was in the arms of another man. He was taller, around Blake’s own height, and had his arm slung around Adam’s shoulder as they walked, with the musician leaning into his chest. A content smile on his face made it clear to Blake that this was Adam’s boyfriend. Feeling funny, he watched as the group made it’s way into one of the homes, a property positively packed with people. 

The group separated, and Blake watched as Adam greeted partygoers, hugging dozens of people who seemed to be congratulating him. Blake couldn’t help but smile, happy to be getting to witness Adam on the edge of success. It’s clear to Blake that the young man had been filled with so much promise, so much potential. 

When he sees Adam finally go get a drink from the kitchen though, the mood shifts. Blake can see Adam’s boyfriend up close and personal with some woman, and their lips are millimeters away from each other. Blake has already seen enough to know exactly what’s going on. His heart sinks as he turns in time to see the shell-shocked look on Adam’s face when confronted with this betrayal, happening on his big night. Blake tries to reach out to him, but his fingers go straight through the singer. 

Adam turns and shoves his way out of the house, breaking into a run as he reaches the front porch. Blake tries to scream a warning because he sees the collision before it even happens. “Adam, wait! Wait, wait, STOP!” 

The screech of brakes isn’t enough, and Blake feels sick as he sees Adam crumple against the front of the car, sent flying forward onto the pavement. He doesn’t move again.

“…O-oh my god.” Blake feels like he’s about to throw up when the scene shifts again. He’s in an operating room, and he can hear distant shouting getting closer and closer. Adam is on the table; only he doesn’t look like Adam anymore. The stupid boyfriend of all people comes flying through the door, and Blake feels fire in his veins as the man irately yells questions at the doctors. People are working over Adam frantically, but the man is very still atop the table. Security pushes the boyfriend out so the chaos quiets a little, but the flat line of the monitor can still be heard over everything else. 

Blake wants to turn away, he can’t watch anymore, it’s too much- but a trace of something in the air catches his eye. No one else seems to notice a thing, but the wisp convalesces into the familiar sight of Adam the spirit, the Adam that Blake has come to know. 

The singer’s heart feels like it’s breaking because Adam looks confused and panicky as he floats over his own body. He can see the spirit trying to shout, waving to his unconscious form, until finally he lays eyes on the monitor and it’s straight, straight line. The ghost lets out a silent scream that Blake feels deep in his soul and with what feels like someone shoving him he’s back in the present, in his own body. 

He turns away, bracing his hands on his knees as he bends over to try and catch his breath. “H-holy…holy shit.”

Adam is hovering right where he had been before, though Blake can tell his form isn’t as solid as it had been before he’d shown Blake all of his memories. He must’ve worn himself out. 

Blake’s voice is trembling when he says, “I’m so sorry Adam. Jesus, I’m so, so sorry that happened to you. I can’t even…”

The country singer doesn’t know what to say, but it doesn’t seem to matter because Adam isn’t upset; he only looks resigned. “I didn’t show you to get pity.” He says tiredly. “I showed you because you asked, and maybe…maybe you’re alright. You know, for being a home-thief and all.”

Blake lets out an involuntary chuckle at the morbid humor, but in reality his throat is thick with the tragedy of what he’d just seen. Adam had died a horrible death. On the brink of fulfilling a life he was so obviously built for, everything had been ripped away from him in one terrible, awful second. Blake sniffed, rubbing his hand through his hair as he fought for composure. He felt righteous indignation for Adam, and understood very clearly now why the spirit was clinging to this world so steadfastly. 

“Adam…” Blake looked up, but the spirit was gone. He sighed, trying to push past these awful feelings. Adam could still be watching and he didn’t want to cry no matter how much he felt like it. He felt as though he needed to grieve. He loitered awkwardly in his own living room for a time, hoping that Adam would come back, but he didn’t. Blake resigned himself to waiting again, and headed to his bedroom for the night.   
…

Time passes, and it’s a week and a half before Blake gets a sense that Adam is close by. He’s making food when the lights flicker ever so slightly, and he damns trying to be subtle to hell because he’s waited long enough. “I know you’re there, man. Come on out!” 

Adam materializes right next to him, and Blake jumps a little despite his expecting the spirit. He glances over as he stirs his pasta, grumbling as he spots the smirk on the dumb kid’s face. “What’s up?” Blake asks, trying to keep it mellow even though all he’s been able to think about lately is the horrifying reality of Adam’s circumstances. 

In a surprising turn of events, Adam’s smirk turns to a soft, genuine smile. “I realized, like, 5 minutes ago that I never really thanked you. For the song…you didn’t have to do that. So, thanks.” 

Blake’s voice is gruff. “S’nothing- I’m sure as a fellow artist you know all about giving credit where credit is due. Every bit of that tune came from ideas of you, so…”

The country singer trails off, realizing with a mental slap how that might sound weird. He changes the subject. “About that night though…I was wondering about-well, that is, if you don’t mind me asking; and of course you’re under no obligation to tell me anything-“

“Fuck’s sake, man! Spit it out!” Blake hears the utensils in the drawer rattle a bit, a mild response compared to earlier days. 

“Alright, sorry! Damn.” Blake takes a deep breath. “I was wondering how exactly you came to be here. I mean, you…died in the hospital right? Or maybe at that house? It just seems strange, that you’re haunting this place that was never really…”

“…never really mine?” Adam asked, more serious in his tone. He hovered closer, almost leaning against the counter as Blake continued to cook. “Well, since the band had gotten a contract we’d made plans to all live here together to start working on the first album. We were going to convert that back room into a studio and bring in all this cool stuff. We’d even picked out our rooms…” 

Adam’s smiling, obviously remembering all the plans he’d had for the place. Blake’s heart strings are being pulled by the wistful looks Adam is giving the kitchen and the den as he speaks. “I guess I was hoping that even though I’d gone the band would somehow be able to pull through. I was very upset when it first happened, and that’s putting it mildly. I had no control over what I could do, and I was so scared. I don’t even know how I wound up here, but as soon as I was inside I could never really leave again. Every day I’ve been hoping that the guys would just come through that door and be ready to make music.”

Adam looks down, his shimmery hands clutching at his shirt. “It just hasn’t happened yet.” 

Blake is quiet. He feels like a shit head for thinking it, but it’s so obvious that Adam’s band had broken up, that they hadn’t been able to survive the loss of their front man. Adam’s buddies were never going to walk through that door, and if Adam didn’t stop clinging to the past he would never be able to move on. He doesn’t say a word. 

…

To say his manager at the label is confused is putting it mildly. “But, you don’t know anyone named Adam. Who is Adam?”

Blake shrugs. “It’s personal, man. He’s someone that I knew once, before I moved here. Ya know I did actually exist before coming to Los Angeles right?” 

His manager waves off the singer’s sass. “Alright…but you’re gonna get questions Blake. Especially on promos, and especially from your fans.”

Blake scoffs at the idea of having fans, because honestly, but he assures his team that he knows what he’s doing and can handle himself. This decision is one of artistic integrity, he insists, and so they leave him alone. 

So, the much-anticipated first album from up and coming country singer Blake Shelton has a very conspicuous, very heartfelt dedication on the cover, to one “Adam”. No last name, no other descriptions. 

To his shock, his album debuts at number one on the country music charts, and he’s quickly becoming the darling of the record company. It just goes to show that Blake really doesn’t understand marketing appeal and should just stick to writing honest music, because what’s really drawn in the public are the heartbreaking songs about a vague tragic figure from Blake’s past. There are a fair few on the album centered around this same individual, and to claim that the listeners’ curiosity is piqued is a serious understatement. 

In a whirlwind press tour to prolong the success of the release, he’s asked countless times about where his writing stems from and Blake has to learn quickly how to keep coy. He meets his new fans (!!) and even plays on a talk show or two before he’s allowed to fly home and get some well-deserved rest. 

Los Angeles has cooled quite a bit in the past weeks; a clue that summer is finally starting to make its exit. The moment he walks through the door he’s greeted by a gust of “wind” and he can’t help but smile. Adam doesn’t appear, but it’s as warm a welcome home as he’s ever gotten from the spirit.   
…

The day that Blake turns on the radio is a crisp one. A chilled breeze had been gusting through the city, and the whole town had felt the first twinges of autumn, Blake included. He’d opened up all the windows, intent on freshening up the place before the end of the season. 

His career was really taking off, and he wanted his home to be in good shape before he left for an extended tour. It was his first one ever so excited nerves had been jumbling in his stomach ever since his manager had brought up the whole thing. He’d come home and started to clean, intent on leaving the place nice for the other resident. Blake had switched on the radio station as he went around with a broom and pan. 

It took him a moment to register it, but the familiar twang of his own guitar melody caught his attention. He paused as he realized he was hearing the last few notes of one of his own songs…on national radio! His excitement was interrupted by a perky DJ, “…And that was “Haunted” by up and coming country artist Blake Shelton! What a gorgeous song, it’s sure to be around for a good while- especially since it’s currently number one in the nation! We’ll be back after these messages…”

A warm breeze suddenly gusted through the house, and Blake looked up instinctively. This was no autumn wind; that much he could tell. The force seemed to swirl around him, rustling his hair and clothing a bit before everything went very very still for the last time. A sudden feeling of comfort and sleepiness overcame him, and the country singer smiled sadly, understanding. 

“Bye Adam…I’ll miss you buddy.”


	7. The Attempt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter has content relating to suicide.

Blake stopped cold. Adam was standing on the edge of the roof. The gusty California breezes were making his worn white tee whip around his figure, his hair blowing back against his face. 

Adam’s eyes were closed, his face tranquil. Blake felt as if ice had been dumped into his veins. 

“Adam-“ Blake’s voice strangled the words trying to come up; he couldn’t speak. His boyfriend stiffened, turning in surprise. Blake felt his pulse skyrocket as panic flooded Adam’s features.

“STOP!” Adam screamed, one hand thrown in front of himself. Blake watched in horror as he made to take a step back, as if he’d forgotten where we was, and let out a wordless cry as Adam stumbled. His terror didn’t ease away even as his lover regained his footing. Adam was still doing this. God, how had he not seen? He’d had no idea. 

“Please, Adam. Please.” Blake pleaded frantically. His stomach roiled as he saw tears spring to Adam’s eyes. He couldn’t tell if they were from anger or stress or sadness. This frightened him. “Just, just come down from there. This is ridiculous- you don’t want to do this, you have so much to live for.”

Adam’s voice hitched around a sniffle. “Oh, you think I’m r-ridiculous? Well then just leave! Why do you even care? Why are you even fucking HERE?”

If Adam weren’t so distraught, Blake felt as though he could’ve wrung the little idiots neck. Classic Adam. “Stop twisting my words! I love you baby, this isn’t the answer.”

“How do you know? Y-you don’t know what’s good for me.” Adam’s chin was jutting out defiantly, challenging Blake to argue with him. “This could be what I want.”

“I know you Adam. I know you. I know that this isn’t what you want, because there are still so many things we want to do. What about all of our plans?” Blake was talking a mile a minute, keenly aware that distracting Adam in this moment could mean the difference between life and death. 

“Didn’t you want to drag me to Carmel to see a real sunset? And I know you still want me to teach you how to throw a proper cast…you still suck at fishing baby.” Adam’s breathing cut off, and he wrapped his arms around himself. 

Blake inched forward ever so slightly. Adam was breaking down, bending over and breathing hard, his attention diverted away from Blake. “…and I know that one day, a while from now, you want to have children. You want to be able to take your kids to basketball games, help them with their homework, maybe help them love music the way you do…the way we both do.”

At these words Adam looked up, but Blake moved quickly. He took hold of one of Adam’s arms with an iron grip and pulled. Adam fell forward into his chest with a rough cry as Blake yanked forcefully. At first Adam struggled in his grip, pulling and yelling, trying to hit Blake, but the southerner was steadfast, holding him close and shushing him quietly. After a minute Adam’s protests gave way to sobs, and he folded into Blake’s embrace, sagging against his boyfriend. 

If Adam didn’t need him to be strong in this moment, Blake might’ve been crying along with him. Blinking wetly, the country singer realized he still might. God, his heart was breaking. Adam was hurting, so he was hurting. And he didn’t think he’d ever hurt this bad in his whole life. He squeezed the smaller man against him more tightly, bringing his lips down against Adam’s forehead. 

“We’ll fix this Adam.” He murmured into his lover’s hair. 

“H-how?” Adam hiccupped. He sounded hopeless. 

“I don’t know, but we’ll fix it. Together.”


	8. Cowboys

"Call for taping!"

"Can we get the coaches? Need them in five."

"Where's the gaffer?"

Blake was sporting a face splitting grin as he ambled across the set. He was going to like this promo, he could already tell. It was shaping up to be his favorite yet, possibly even topping the super bowl ad. 

There were tons of people rushing around the set because they only had a day to shoot this thing. He'd shown up early, excited about the concept and hadn't seen Adam since they'd both been whisked through makeup. He'd gotten there first of course, and he'd clapped his hands together in excitement when he'd been shown his outfit. It was PERFECT. 

Blake had admired it on his tall frame in the mirror, not even ashamed of his preening as the wardrobe staff gushed about how the tailoring was perfect for him. He couldn’t wait for Adam to see him. 

His delight grew as he heard the jangle of his spurs as he walked. Yep, he could admit it to himself, he felt pretty badass right about now. Adam's dressing area was not far off, and he couldn't wait to see how he'd react to seeing Blake dressed as a country boy ought to be dressed.

He knocked on Adam's door eagerly. "Open up man! This cowboy wants to have a word with you!"

There was no reply, but after a minute the door opened. Blake took a step back to give him room, but he wasn't prepared for Adam as he stepped down and out of the trailer. 

The first thing he noticed was that Adam had a hat on, very similar to the one he himself was sporting. His head was down, so the brim was covering his face. 

Blake's mouth fell open as his eyes traveled down Adam's form. The rock star was sporting a dusty looking vest over a worn shirt, but ohhh lord was it fitted. The fabric was tailored closely to his narrow waist, and tucked into deliciously tight jeans with the help of a rustic western belt buckle. His gaze followed Adam's long legs and he swallowed as he saw the denim tucked neatly into a beautifully crafted pair of cowboy boots. He had to give props to the clothing department because, yeah, his boyfriend was covered nearly head to toe, but nothing was left to the imagination. Damn. 

"You better watch out Shelton,"

Blake's head shot up, his eyes narrowing in on Adam's as the singer raised his head. 

The country star's heart raced as his lover's bright eyes were revealed, sparking under the shadows cast by his hat.

"There's a new sheriff in town." Adam's lip quirked as he said the line, the only break in character he betrayed. 

"Jeeze, Adam," Blake gaped. "You look awesome." 

His boyfriend smiled, but he tugged self-consciously at his collar. "Yeah?"

"Hell yeah."

Adam inspected him as he spoke, "Well on you this looks right at home. I'm not too sure about it to be honest."

"Last call for the coaches please!"

Both vocalists looked over to where everyone was congregating. 

Blake smiled. "You look good Adam. Really. Now come on partner, s'time to use that cocky rock star attitude of yours."

Adam rolled his eyes, but followed all the same. 

Shooting went by relatively quickly. At first there were quite a few takes where the two dissolved into fits of giggles at the things they had to say.

Adam in particular had the crew in stitches thanks to his attempts to match Blake's southern accent. Their jobs were so surreal sometimes. The pair got it together eventually though, and as they watched the roll back at the end of the day they were happy with their work and finally were dismissed. 

Adam took off his hat with a tired sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I'm gonna go change, but after that do you wanna grab dinner at Blu?"

Blake looked down at Adam in consternation, and Adam was thrown. “What? You like Blu.”

“I don’t give a fuck about Blu. You’re not changin’ right now. C’mere.” Blake’s drawl was strong, and Adam trotted after his boyfriend as he was led by the arm to Blake’s trailer. 

“What?“ Adam was wrenched forward, and he let out a huff of indignation as Blake shoved him inside. “Blake, what the fu-“

The singer was cut off as his boyfriend kissed him soundly on the mouth. Understanding clicked into place, and Adam returned the kiss with fervor, and the couple lost a fair few minutes as one kiss devolved into a messy make out session. 

When they finally pulled apart, gasping, Adam couldn’t help sassing his lover. “You’re getting more impatient everyday Blake. Couldn’t even wait until we got home, huh?”

He wasn’t complaining though, that was for sure. He would never say so out loud, but Adam really did love these moments when Blake just wasn’t able to control himself. It really turned him on. 

"Reach for the sky." Blake murmured. 

"Oh my god. That was so bad." Adam guffawed, but he did what his boyfriend told him to. Still panting from their kiss, the shorter man leaned up against the wall, raising his arms up and over his head. 

This position of Adam at his mercy, a picture of surrender…it was making Blake’s jeans feel very tight all of a sudden. Adam looked up at Blake through his lashes, sporting a coy smirk. Blake couldn't wait to kiss that right off his mouth. 

The southerner spread his hands over Adam's chest, running his long fingers over the embroidery of the vest before pulling roughly at the fabric. “Agh- Blake! Wardrobe’s gonna be pissed!”

“Don’t give a damn.” Blake whispered huskily against Adam’s neck. Adam groaned as Blake began to leave light breathy kisses along his skin, the gentle contact contrasting with the forceful way Blake’s hands were ripping his clothes away from his body. Adam struggled a little bit to keep against the wall as Blake continued to manhandle him, his smaller body jerking with the movement. 

“You’re acting like an animal,” Adam panted, “But somehow I’m okay with tha- aghh!”

Blake wrenched Adam’s arms down in order to pull the opened vest and shirt from his body. Blake ran his warm hands from Adam’s neck down his chest, circling his arms to cradle the small of Adam’s back. He stooped over to reach his kisses further down Adam’s chest, and the rock star let out a shivery moan as his weight was supported completely by his lover. 

“This…ugh…this isn’t fair,” Adam babbled, “You’re still dressed in that stupid outfit and I’m already half naked.”

Blake stood upright, tipping Adam forward back to equilibrium. As the singer struggled to regain his stability, Blake kneeled in front of him in a flash, working open his lover’s belt. “Only half naked? We gotta fix that.”

“Not what I meant, but okay.” Adam’s hands fell to Blake’s head, holding his boyfriend’s tresses in his fingers for balance as his jeans and underwear were ripped down his legs. Blake made quick work of the rest of Adam’s clothing, and he pushed him back against the wall again. 

“Oof-“ Adam grunted with the force of being shoved, and he resolved to just hang on for dear life- it seemed Blake knew exactly what he wanted, and that he was going to just take it. A high-pitched noise ripped its way up and out of his throat when Blake swallowed him down to the root with no warning.

“B-Blake…Ohh my fuck-“ Adam’s hands scrabbled for purchase along the wall behind him, but there was nothing to grab onto. Pleasure was burning through him, shocks of arousal shooting through his body and making his legs weak. Blake growled his pleasure at the effect he was having on his boyfriend, and he gripped the backs of Adam’s thighs to keep him upright while he sucked for all he was worth. 

Adam struggled to keep a shred of his dignity, but it was no use- he was full on whimpering now. Blake was taking him deep, his face buried in Adam’s pubic hair. 

“What’s g-gotten into you?” Adam asked hoarsely through flushed, kiss swollen lips. 

Blake pulled away with a pop, wiping his hand quickly across his mouth before standing and kissing Adam again. Adam clung to Blake’s arms as he experienced one of the filthiest kisses of his life, his boyfriend’s tongue exploring his mouth eagerly, teeth scraping at his lower lip. 

When Blake did answer him, with his fiery blue eyes staring down at him worshipfully, he struggled to hear through his haze of arousal. “You, baby. You in that get up- god it’s like a fantasy I didn’t even know I had.”

Blake unbuttoned his own shirt quickly, throwing it off without a thought. His hands scrambled to undo his belt, but other than shoving down his pants just below the hips, he paid no mind to his own state of dress. 

Bracing a hand against Adam’s neck, he crowded his younger lover against the wall once more as he reached down to Adam’s entrance. The singer gasped at the intrusion, as Blake had only circled his pucker for a second before breaching him. 

“Hngg-“ Blake’s hand on his neck tightened when he heard Adam’s groan, trying to anchor him to the moment. “Eyes on me Adam. Look at me, babe. That’s it.”

Adam’s face flushed, fighting to keep eye contact with Blake as he was worked open. He felt like he was experiencing electric shocks, his breath shuddering and stuttering as Blake’s eyes bore into his own. They’d had tons of really really hot moments, but this was the first time Adam felt he was being claimed. He clenched down on Blake’s fingers at the thought. 

They both groaned simultaneously at the sensation. “God, you really want it don’t you? You’re ready for me, I can tell.”

Adam could only nod shakily, wrapping his arms around Blake’s neck as his boyfriend settled himself against his hole. He tightened his grip as he felt Blake tease him there.

Adam dug his nails into Blake’s shoulders, scratching as Blake pushed in. The country singer braced one arm against the wall for support as he buried himself fully in Adam, the both of them breathing hard as the younger man adjusted to the pressure. 

After a moment of reprieve, Adam tugged impatiently at Blake’s arm to show he was ready. With a look of absolute hunger, Blake grabbed at Adam’s leg, bringing it up against his hips so he could sink deeper. The rock star wrapped the leg around his lover’s waist, totally game.

Flush against each other, Adam’s only warning of what came next was a dark, whispered command.

“Ride me, cowboy.”

Adam cried out with pleasure as Blake began to thrust into him forcefully. The pace was steady, punctured with a deep thrust time and again that made Adam dizzy with pleasure. 

“Ugh, Christ…” Blake moaned with pleasure as Adam clenched around his cock, and he buried his head into his boyfriend’s neck, relishing the scratch and scrape of their stubble against each other’s skin as he pounded into him. 

“That all you got? Make me really feel it, Blake,” Adam grunted, “I wanna feel it.” 

Blake chuckled breathily at Adam’s irreverence. Typical. He picked up his pace and Adam wrapped his leg tighter around him. He let his head fall back against the wall, his chest constricting with feeling as Blake started to bite at his earlobe. 

The tickly, teasing sensation coupled with the burning pleasure was too much for him and he came with a shout. “BLAKE!”

“Yes, baby. Yes, god, you’re perfect Adam. So beautiful.” Blake panted, and the tightening of Adam around him ignited that telltale fire in his belly. He upped his pace, pounding into his lover as he held him against his chest. Adam took it, totally languid in his hands, and Blake came as Adam laid tired, sloppy kisses onto his shoulder, trying to goad his pleasure out of him. With a few more rough thrusts, Blake emptied himself inside of Adam with a growl, his grip on Adam fierce and possessive.

Trembling, they clung to each other until the strength in Adam’s lower body gave out. He let his leg fall from Blake’s hip, and his lover peppered him with soft bites and gentle kisses as they slid to the floor. 

Blissed out, it was a moment before either of them moved.

“Holy fuck.” Adam mused as Blake rubbed his hands affectionately over his lover’s come covered thighs.

“Mmhmm.” Blake hummed. Sated, he enjoyed his view of his boyfriend. With his flush not yet faded and his hair a right mess, Adam looked totally fucked out. Blake thought it was a good look.

With a groan, Adam pulled his shaky legs up to his chest. “Maybe we should play dress up more often.”

Blake smiled and let one of his wandering hands grip Adam’s ankle. “You read my mind.”


	9. Homecoming

After long trips it takes them no time at all to get into each other’s pants. It’s shameless really. But when one of them has been a plane ride away for more than a week, the home coming sex can get a little wild. It’s something that Adam has come to look forward to, because it’s one of the few times when he really sees Blake act like an animal. 

Today is no different. He trudges through the monotony of getting out of LAX, and after the swarm of paparazzi, he’s able to dive into the black SUV that’s waiting for him. Blake is inside, and wraps him in an embrace the moment they’re whisked away. 

“Hi, honey-“ is about as far as front man can get before Blake kisses him senseless, his grip around Adam’s waist vice-like. 

“Wow…” He says a little breathlessly when they come up for air. Blake’s hold on him doesn’t loosen, and so Adam must look up at his boyfriend at a sharper angle than he’s typically used to. 

“Miss me that much, eh?”

Blake’s gaze is intense. “Always.” 

The sincere response gets Adam’s pulse racing, and he knows then that Blake’s going to have him the second they get home come hell or high water. The rest of the drive seems like an eternity. 

…

They’re just through the front door when Blake steers him to their bedroom with a firm hand. He’s got a grip on the back of Adam’s neck, and soon the younger man finds himself on his back amid the sheets.

“Not playing around are you?” Adam says bemusedly. There’s no response other than a gruff sound and a firm kiss. Blake’s stripping his clothes from him, and everything’s happening very fast. Adam just kind of hangs on, realizing that cooler heads will not prevail until Blake’s has his way with him. He was missed much more than he’d anticipated- maybe three weeks away was a little much. He finds himself naked before too long, and Blake’s just going for it. 

Adam emits a punched out groan, the guttural noise making his muscles tremble and clench down against Blake’s insistent kisses. The country singer’s grip is bruising, his handling of Adam rough and possessive and so so hot. Blake growls, his lips coasting over the surface of Adam’s skin and inspiring shivers in his lover. 

“Stop squirming, baby.” He orders in a gruff voice. Adam tries to obey; he really does, biting his lip to shutter a sigh as Blake’s long fingers circle his waist. His shallow breathing is broken by an involuntary gasp as he feels a finger trail over his hole, the touch just firm enough to drag the skin there, Blake pulling and pushing teasingly, on the edge of breaching him. Then suddenly he pulls away, sitting back on his haunches to look at all of Adam.

“Y-you’re playing with me.” Adam hisses, toes curling. He’s fighting a bit of a blush because the scrutiny feels a little intense. 

“No,” Blake’s tone is argumentative and still somehow sultry, and how he manages that Adam will never understand. “I’m admiring you. So don’t move.” 

Adam is shivering against the sheets, but he doesn’t move a muscle, not an inch ‘cause Blake’s told him so in that dark voice, so dominant and so commanding that Adam daren’t budge. The southerner has arranged him, splayed him out on their bed so that he can see all of Adam, so that all the hidden parts of him are exposed. 

He swallows his moans as Blake trails his long fingers lightly over his skin, whimpers as Blake’s lips ghost over his cheekbones to his shoulders, down his chest, to his thighs. The singer sighs when his knees are shoved apart, one leg being pushed up to his chest as Blake explores his body.

“Hnng-“ Adam can’t hold it all in though, not when Blake lays a chaste, innocent kiss against his hole. Having been ordered not to stir, Adam’s hands fly to his hair, where they grip fiercely as Blake begins to lap at his entrance, tasting and teasing him until he’s clenching eagerly for more. 

“Hurry up, god, just hurry please-“ Blake almost rolls his eyes. Nothing much has changed it seems, Adam is still as bossy as ever. He gives a reproachful squeeze to Adam’s ass, which earns him a yelp. 

He doesn’t scold anymore than that though, manhandling Adam until he’s got a good angle above him. The younger singer’s mouth is slack, and his dark eyes follow Blake’s movement as he guides himself into the smaller body beneath him. 

Heat is what registers in Blake’s lust blown mind along with Adam’s whimpers as he bottoms out. God, he’d missed this. He misses this every single hour he’s away from Adam. 

“Yes-“ Adam pants as Blake sets a fast pace, driving into him so he can feel that throbbing, delicious burn. The pain and the pleasure together are what Adam feeds off of, and he squeezes around Blake a little more, because maybe he is just a little bit of a masochist. 

It garners a snarl from Blake, who bites down on Adam’s throat hard. He licks the reddened skin after he’s made his mark, his warm breath giving Adam shivers.

”Mmhmm, love it when you mark me baby…don’t ever let me leave again…” Adam babbles huskily, totally out of his brain. He grasps Blake’s wrist, anxious for some contact as he takes what Blake gives him.

“Oh god oh god oh god- fuck!!” Adam’s cursing steadily, voice getting higher as Blake pounds into him, the slick sound of their coupling lewd and loud in the bedroom. Blake’s grunting into Adam’s ear, and his hands are everywhere. 

It’s when Blake’s hand creeps down and takes Adam’s cock into a firm grip that Adam comes with a shout. Blake kisses him to swallow up his moans and totally loses it. The pacing is gone and the older man thrusts blindly, roughly into the body beneath him. 

Blake spills into Adam, and the younger man feels it as he’s filled up. Blake is breathing hard as Adam milks him for everything he’s got, and he relishes the whine from beneath him as he brings his teeth to Adam’s skin once more.

Blake bites down hard on his neck as he pulls out slowly so Adam feels every little bit of the motion, but the smaller man doesn’t move. He’s too tired to do anything other than lay there underneath Blake, and the country singer can’t help but feel a little pride as he looks down at the work he’s done. He has to admire it more closely. Adam lets out a little huff of surprise when Blake leans down and grips a leg with each hand, holding him apart.

“What’re you-agh!” Adam keens as Blake licks into him, and his mind is a little bit blown because, yeah, this is filthy and he just had his brains fucked out so how is he getting hard again??

“You’re so full…” Blake mumbles against his skin, and he lets one leg fall as he brings prying fingers to Adam’s pucker, teasing the puffy ring of muscle there and watching as his seed trickles out of the younger man. Adam convulses and Blake growls, leaning in again to lay another bite on Adam’s thigh before resuming his attack. He lathes at Adam’s skin as he works one finger into that hole that’s been used so well.

“S’too much- ughh-hh…” Adam feels utterly wrung out. He is so sensitive post orgasm but Blake seems determined to get even more out of him. He tries not to whine too much because he wants to give Blake what he’s after. 

He can’t help thrashing a bit, limbs trembling, and Blake is forced to hold onto him more tightly. He does his best to lay still. His nerves feel like they are on fire, and each breath he draws is a shuddery gasp. How is Blake still hungry for him when he’s pulled so much out of him already? Adam doubts he has anything left in him. 

“Just one more, Adam. One more for me.” Blake’s voice is strained. He wraps one hand around Adam’s cock, and the rock star hisses at the contact. He’s worked roughly, and Jesus, he can’t take this, he might just break.

“I can’t…I c-can’t, I don’t think-“ 

Blake sets his mouth against Adam’s hole and sucks. 

“AAHHH!!” The singer shrieks as he comes, the sound dissolving into quieter whimpers. Adam stares up at the ceiling, and over the ringing in his ears he can hear the sounds coming from where Blake is eating him out. The sounds are pervasive and his body reacts reflexively. He tries to close his legs, but he’s met with resistance. Blake keeps his knees apart, each in a firm grip. Adam feels a sob catch in his throat. 

“So good, baby. So good, so, so good for me…” Blake finally pulls away with a final kiss at his entrance, murmuring nonsense as he mouths his way up Adam’s body. Adam reaches shaky hands up, seeking, and Blake wraps him tightly in his arms as they shared a deep kiss. Adam’s eyes slip shut, his breath a little less shaky when they pull apart for air. 

“You’re not leaving for that long again. Don’t think I can take it.” Blake finally says quietly.

“I feel empty.” Adam’s voice is small. Blake’s grip on him tightens and he nuzzles against Adam’s neck, settling into the bedding he pulls over the both of them. 

“Don’t worry baby,” Blake grumbles tiredly. “I’m gonna fill you up again in a bit…nice and full for me…”

Adam clenches at the thought, feeling raw, but he too closes his eyes. He’s going to need the rest.


	10. Slumber

Blake is sure that it’s a trait he’s picked up on the road out of necessity, thanks to all the touring he’s done, but he still finds it funny.   
Adam can fall asleep just about anywhere, at any time. 

He’s found the singer curled up in his trailer, waiting for Blake to get back from coaching sessions. He’s found him on couches in the studio’s common area, sprawled out rather inelegantly. He even walked into staging one day and found him curled up in what looked to be a very uncomfortable position on his big red coach’s chair. He’d had to stifle a laugh, but hadn’t felt guilty as he’d whipped out his phone and snapped a photo. 

Once he’d had his fun he’d taken pleasure in shaking Adam awake, getting a few chuckles out of the stagehands who were around. 

“Whaa..?” Adam said foggily, rubbing at his eyes. Pleased with himself, Blake shoves the screen of his phone in Adam’s face. He blinks blearily, his expression morphing into one of exasperation when he’s seen what Blake has. 

“Nice.” Adam deadpans, though the crinkling of his eyes is a dead give away that yes, maybe he finds it a little funny too.

“Man, maybe you should drink more coffee,” Blake finds himself joking. “It’s kind of hard not to touch you when you’re sleeping.”

Adam looks up at him, eyes a little clearer, and shoots it right back at him. “Don’t know why you think you wouldn’t be allowed.”

That had left Blake a little bit speechless, which had Adam smirking in triumph for the rest of the day. It had been the end of that conversation, but as time went on the idea became somewhat of an interest of Blake’s. He found that thoughts of Adam unconscious and vulnerable began to occupy a lot of his time, images of the younger man sleeping burning through his mind.

The thing was, Adam looked so different when he was asleep. He knew that deep down Adam was a good guy, a truly wonderful human being, but those who didn’t know him well didn’t often see that. He’d sport his cocky rock star persona, and the way he was always snarking off or playing Hollywood kept up a barrier between Adam and everyone else. 

Blake was lucky that he got to get past all that bullshit as his boyfriend. But being able to see it so clearly, so completely was a rare thing since most of their lives were spent in the public eye. When the southerner found himself missing that hidden, private part of his lover, the image of Adam sleeping was enough to do the trick. 

Blake knew he was in deep when his little fetish spread to their home life. After they came home from long days on the lot they’d both be exhausted but Blake would try his damndest to stay up just a little longer, a little bit later. If Adam dozed off before him, he got his chance to just lie beside his lover and look at how beautiful he was. It became his favorite time of the day. 

He couldn’t get over the image. Adam’s tousled hair swirling this way and that on the pillow, his long lashes shadowing those high cheekbones. His collarbones above his toned, taught torso. What got him most though were his lips, slightly parted as if in invitation. Sorely tempted, Blake thinks back to their earlier back and forth. Adam wouldn’t have said that if he didn’t mean it, Blake thinks. He scoots closer to his sleeping lover, moving down the bed. 

Blake tugs gingerly on Adam’s briefs, sliding them easily down his hips and over the swell of Adam’s toned ass. He tosses them aside gently and admires his lover’s bare skin. Adam sleeps on, only twisting slightly atop the bedding once he’s exposed. He loves being able to just stare at Adam, drink him in until he has his fill. 

Adam’s chin juts outward a bit on the pillow, his hair mussing even more as he lets out a small whine. It’s a tired, confused noise that hits Blake right in the chest. Adam’s eyes remain closed, but his breathing is deeper, with soft sighs and huffs filling the room. He looks so young this way, so helpless. 

Blake trails a hand over his bare back, tracing his fingers along his spine until he takes hold of Adam’s hips. He lifts gently, canting Adam’s body up, presenting him beautifully. He leans down enough to bite Adam, his grip tightening as his teeth sink into smooth soft flesh. Desire is welling in Blake, pooling in the pit of his stomach. Here he is staking his claim and Adam still won’t wake. 

His palm slides down the back of Adam’s thighs, until his fingers curl around one knee and he pulls. Adam spreads, now completely visible, and so so quiet. Blake’s heart is pounding. 

He settles his thumb against Adam’s entrance and rubs over the creased skin there. He presses down, angling for penetration when Adam groans. Blake casts one arm up to hold Adam’s nape against the bed, pinning him so he won’t readjust. Adam only snuffles, and then is at rest once more. 

He pushes more and breaches Adam. His weight is settled on the backs of Adam’s legs to keep him there, just in case.

“Ah…” The pressure is tight, and Blake groans. He’s sliding another finger into Adam, into that irresistibly pliant body. Adam’s expression is shifting, his brows drawing down into a frown.

“Ahh-h-“ Blake can see Adam’s hands clenching at his sides, tangling in the sheets beneath them. He feels Adam trying to move underneath him. He presses down against his lover, covering him with his body as he works him open. 

“Mmpphh…B-Blake…?” Adam is awake. He’s moving, and Blake shifts quickly, adjusting so that he can hold Adam down more firmly. His fingers are so deep inside the smaller man, and shoving into that tight heat evokes a keening moan from Adam, his first conscious one of the night. Blake watches in fascination as awareness creeps over the confusion in Adam’s expression, as his eyes become hooded from lust rather than from sleep. Adam clenches down on his digits tightly, and Blake groans. 

Disoriented, Adam places his hands against the bed and tries to push up against the weight holding him down. Blake holds on though, pressing down with his broad chest. Adam settles, his arms tangling in the sheets. 

“O-ohh Christ-“ Adam murmurs breathily. He stretches wantonly, turning his head on his pillow more so that Blake has better access to kiss the side of his face. 

Blake allows his hand to slip from Adam’s neck, and he reaches down to his own boxers, taking himself in hand. His fingers scissor into Adam, stretching him out as he jerks himself to hardness. 

Adam starts up with these little mewls that go straight to his cock, and Blake has no problem taking his pleasure to the sight in front of him. 

“Ughhh…” Adam is groaning in pleasure-pain, but Blake shushes him with a slight curl of his forefinger. Adam’s submission is beautiful, and Blake cums all over Adam’s back and thighs. Some of the hot liquid lands near his opening, and Blake smears it across the singer’s entrance.

“Mmm…messy.” Adam mumbles softly, snuggling his face into the cushion more. He squeezes around Blake’s fingers, muscles contracting, but otherwise doesn’t move. So trusting. 

He looks about ready to fall back to sleep. His eyes close as Blake tries to catch his breath as he peppers soft kisses all over Adam’s back. He uses his under shirt to clean what he can, then lays beside Adam’s prone form. He leaves the rest for the morning.


	11. Firsts

The First Date…

“Sit down and just shut the fuck up man.” Adam hissed, exasperated. He and Blake were at Blu and one of the bands songs had come on right as they were about to sit down. Much to the embarrassment of Adam and to the bewilderment of the entire restaurant the country singer had started jamming out, bobbing his head obnoxiously. 

He’d even gone so far as to point to the speakers while looking at the couple in the next booth over. “Ya know this band? They’re really great, you should listen to their early stuff. Iconic.” Blake had gushed sarcastically to two very wide-eyed locals. Adam blushed to the roots of this hair. He couldn’t take Blake anywhere. This was his favorite place goddamnit. Now he couldn’t come here anymore. 

The lengths to which Blake would go to give him a hard time…ugh. He hung his head in second hand shame while Blake finally plopped down across from him, chuckling. “I hate you so much.” Adam mumbled. “I don’t even know if I can eat now, I’m so stressed out.” 

“Oh, laugh it off buddy. That’s what cocky rock stars do right?” Blake’s twang was thicker with his amusement. Adam only sighed, staring down at his phone so he didn’t have to look at anyone.

Thankfully Blake changed the subject. “So, this is your favorite diner huh?” He looked around perfunctorily and glanced through the menu. “Figures. Bet this is the unhealthiest you get, eh?” 

Before Adam could get a word out Blake continued, flapping the menu around a bit. “Yep, and look, it’s still healthy. Here’s those fuckin’ green drinks you’re obsessed with!” He pointed to an item typed under the laminate. 

Adam was already tired and they hadn’t been talking for two minutes. Maybe this was a mistake. “Why are you giving me so much shit, man? I brought you here because it’s literally my favorite place. I wanted to share it with you.” 

‘To show you I’m serious about trying us out’ is what Adam was thinking but didn’t dare say out loud.

Blake faltered, blinking at him owlishly. “Aww I’m sorry man,” Blake rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “I was just kiddin’.” 

There was a beat of silence, and Adam began thinking he’d ruined everything by overreacting before it even started when Blake continued, blurting, “…I guess I’m a little nervous. I’ve never been on a date with a dude before. Hell, never dated all that much period. Don’t know quite what I’m in for here.”

“Doesn’t surprise me at all.” Adam deadpanned, though his lip curled a bit in amusement. “Well…you like me right?”

It was Blake’s turn to blush a bit, the heat rising around the ears. “Hell yeah I do.”

Adam leaned forward, reaching out to grab Blake’s hand. He chickened out at the last second, and grabbed the saltshaker, tipping it sideways. “Good. I like you too.” Adam looked up at Blake through his eyelashes, his signature move. 

It seemed to work on Blake every time, and Adam enjoyed watching those cheeks get a little redder. “So we go from there. Just talk to me. It’s not any different than girls.”

Blake couldn’t resist the opening. “Well since we’re talkin’ about you then it’ll be exactly like datin’ girls.”

Adam shook his head but he was grinning ear to ear. He doubted they’d ever be able to have a serious conversation. But somehow, that seemed like a really good thing. 

 

The First Kiss…

It’d been a quick little thing. They were poolside, Adam treading water and Blake with his feet in the water. The sun had been beating down on them in those hot days of summer, and the party going on around them faded a little bit as they became wrapped up in their own conversation. 

“Why don’t you come in the water?” Adam asked, swimming a little closer to the edge. He wrapped a hand around Blake’s ankle. 

“You know me. Not really the swimmin’ type.” Blake looked around Adam’s backyard as he said this, giving away his real reasoning to the younger man as he eyed Adam’s friends. The singer felt a pang as he realized how Blake might be feeling. 

“Well I know that’s bullshit right there.” Adam quipped, trying to bring Blake out of his head. At Blake’s indignant look Adam raised his eyebrows with a smirk. “Oklahoma?”

Blake threw back his head and laughed at the memory. Of course, how could he have forgotten? It had been Adam’s first time out on the property and Blake had insisted on showing him a tour of the land under the moonlight, saying it gave it the right feel. They’d stopped by the small lake on the ranch, and as Blake explained the irrigation system Adam had tripped over a tree root and fallen right into the water. 

It hadn’t taken Blake more than a second to jump in right after him and make sure he was okay. Adam had been more embarrassed than anything, but Blake remembered how his eyes had warmed when he’d realized what Blake would do to make sure he was safe. They’d had a long wet walk back to the house full of laughs even though they’d both been shivering. 

“Alright, well that was different.” Blake chuckled. “Your life was in danger after all.” 

“Ha! Oh Blake you never exaggerate at all, do you?” Adam tightened his grip on Blake’s ankle, prompting a quirk of the eyebrow from singer. The affectionate gesture was out of character for Adam, but he decided not to comment on it. 

“What if my life was in danger now? You’d save me right?” 

Blake only shook his head at the question. “Now you’re just bein’ stupid.”

“Oh yeah? Well now who looks stupid?” Adam gave a great tug and pulled Blake into the pool. The southerner let out a loud yell as he crashed into the water, and Adam was suffering from that squeaky, hiccupy laugh he sometimes got when he laughed too hard.  
Christ, Blake loved that laugh. 

“S’not funny you idiot.” Blake grumbled as he pushed his wet curls back against his head. Seeing his hair dampened made Adam feel like his chest was constricting a bit, and he swam close to the country singer. The blue pool water was sparkling under the sun, and now it was reflecting from Blake’s equally blue eyes. It was a little mesmerizing. 

He couldn’t help himself, not with the water dripping enticingly down Blake’s neck towards his chest. Before he could think better of it, before he gave the people around them any consideration, Adam leaned up and kissed Blake gently on the mouth. 

The electricity from the contact bolted down his spine all the way to his toes. He only pulled away enough to look up at Blake, whose eyes had darkened. Blake wrapped his arms around Adam, his large hands on the small of his back. Their breath was intermingling, and Adam could smell alcohol along with the scent of the chlorine and Blake’s hair product. He inhaled deeply and let a hand latch onto Blake’s shirt. 

He pulled gently, leading Blake to the steps. Adam wanted to get them dry right this minute so they could continue this somewhere else. 

 

The First Time…

The night had been perfect. Their friends had come over and they’d been barbequing and drinking homemade margaritas with the game on the TV. Once everyone had gone home they’d ended up on the couch, tangled around each other just being their stupid selves. 

A little bit tipsy and a little bit sleepy, they’d wound up making out right there in the living room. It was going more perfectly than Adam would’ve dreamed- everything felt natural and cozy and just right as they laughed breathlessly between kisses. 

He’d had enough of the teasing and dragged Blake to the bedroom, pulling him down for a deeper kiss when they reached the edge of the mattress. That’s when the mood changed. 

Adam thought maybe it was in his head, but suddenly Blake felt stiffer against him. Less languid and affectionate in his movements. 

Why was he so tense all of a sudden?

The anticipation and the lust he’d felt building was gone as Blake took Adam’s shirt off and pushed him onto the bed instead of guiding him. He was a bit taken aback as Blake immediately went for his chest, laying kisses against his skin. It felt weird. Maybe because Blake wasn’t looking at his face? It could be that his boyfriend wasn’t actually into this, Adam thought with a sinking heart. 

Adam hadn’t been able to pin down what was off, but after Blake stiffly laid him down and went straight for his pants he finally figured it out. 

“Hold up,” The rock star huffed, pushing on Blake’s chest to let him up. He sat cross-legged across from Blake on the sheets. “You watched porn, didn’t you?”

A deer in the head lights expression greeted Adam. Blake recovered though, only stammering for a second before going for humor. “You’ll have to be more specific, there’s probably any number of times-“

“I mean as research. For gay sex.” Adam quipped, straightforward. “Am I right?”

Blake spluttered. “Well, what else was I supposed to do?”

Adam took a deep breath, determined not to laugh. It was kind of hilarious and adorable that Blake had tried to prepare, and he didn’t want to make fun. “You could’ve talked to me about it. Asked me about it. I have done this before. Multiple times.”

Adam scooted forward and got on his knees, reaching up to tuck some stray curls behind Blake’s ear. “Also, I wasn’t expecting country boy to be well versed in this particular art.” The younger man smirked. “I was actually really looking forward to showing you the ropes and guiding you through your first time.”

Blake made an unconscious sound of interest in the back of his throat, humming appreciatively at the suggestion. Adam began fingering the buttons on Blake’s flannel, letting his voice get breathy and seductive. “What do you say? Will you let me lead tonight, newbie?”

Blake leaned in for a kiss, his voice a deliciously low rumble. “Maybe just this once.”


	12. Pages

Blake was hired by the label to be Maroon 5’s new tour manager. They were blowing up and becoming enormously popular, but they were still young guys who potentially would need guidance because of how long they would be on the road. So the bands agent had said Blake, the consummate experienced roadman, was the perfect candidate to keep the knuckleheads in line. They’re a little more pop-oriented than Blake’s usual assignments, but he signs on anyway. He’ll learn to deal with the screaming fan girls. He resolves to buy way more earplugs before they head out. 

It starts out conventionally, with the band being floored by their popularity and the fervent fan girls that smothered them at every stop. The boys were making their own mistakes and learning from them quickly whilst having their fun, and Blake was keeping mostly out of it. Despite his reputation at the label, he wasn’t too tough of a guy and often times he kept troubled artists in control by giving them a little bit of trust and the leeway was often met with appreciation. Blake had found that musicians were more apt to make his life easier if he didn’t hover needlessly. 

That being said, Adam was one of the few singers he’d managed that really did have the x factor that the fans screamed over at every gig. If Blake didn’t watch himself he would get wrapped up in the show that Adam would put on for everyone around him, and not just the one he put on stage. The younger man was so quick witted, charming and overtly sensual in his manner that Blake sometimes would forget himself. It allowed Adam to open up to him more than one would typically with one’s tour manager, and they found themselves able to talk for hours (since their were certainly many hours to kill when traveling cross country). An unconventional friendship formed, and soon enough Adam was hanging out with Blake more than he was with his band mates, which gave all them all a welcome respite from each other’s company. 

Their friendship really became genuine as opposed to one formed because of their proximity when Blake had revealed that he too was a musician. They’d been talking music, sitting in the back room of the band’s bus while a flat tire was being fixed. Blake was speaking of what type of music he grew up on, and he’d been surprised by how interested Adam had seemed. He got a little wrapped up in trying to explain how a particular country song went and had grabbed for Adam’s guitar sitting a few inches away. Adam’s eyes had grown impossibly wide when Blake started to strum and sing, asking why the hell Blake wasn’t out playing his own gigs. Blake had merely smiled at Adam’s naiveté. The kid still didn’t realize how lucky he was, how many other factors determined a career besides a persons talent. How, even though it was 2004, the fact that Blake was an out and proud gay man had stopped his career in its tracks. He decided to just go with, “My life just didn’t take that turn, I guess.” Adam rarely left his side after that. 

Blake was having a great time, able to keep up with the best of ‘em, and even though he caught himself looking at Adam in that way sometimes he was able to reign himself back before the younger man noticed. What he hadn’t anticipated was that Adam would develop feelings for him on his own. He would catch Adam hovering by his door, wherever they were that day, or he’d feel his gaze during sound checks before gigs. Sure enough, when he’d look over Adam would be staring at him from his place on stage as he crooned lines about love and seduction, only to look away quickly once he’d been found out. 

Blake had thought maybe he’d been going crazy until Adam had really started being physically affectionate with him, sometimes under the guise of being playful and other times for no reason at all. The final clue had been the sudden explosion of lyrics from the 22 year old, with scattered pages all over the tour bus and sometimes drifting out of Adam’s guitar case. The chatter from Adam’s band mates about who Adam could possibly be writing about now buzzed through Blake’s brain... especially when they marveled about how Adam’s work was more poetic, more heartfelt than they’d ever heard it. 

He decided to do nothing. Adam was young. He could still be figuring things out for all Blake knew, could be confused about his feelings for Blake. The 30 year old decided to leave everything in Adam’s hands so as not to cause any problems. Even though he enjoyed being friends with Adam (and maybe enjoyed thinking about him during his time alone in the dark at night) being a professional came first. He couldn’t jeopardize the success of the tour because he was thinking with something other than his head. He didn’t pull away from the singer, but he made sure not to give in to his feelings even though Adam was getting moony eyed around him these days. 

The day this changed was near their return to the west coast for a big arena concert- the guys were excited for their first performance on that scale and Blake grinned as he watched them imagine what it’d be like. He let them daydream, and headed to the front of the bus to get some work done, make a few calls. He stepped over piles of torn out notebook paper, some stacked neatly, some torn or crumpled. 

“Why do you always do that?”

Blake turned, surprised to see Adam lying on the side bench. He hadn’t even seen him on his way from the back. 

“Adam! You’re blending in with the woodwork there bud, didn’t even see you. What do you mean?”

Adam’s face was serious, his eyes dark as he looked up at Blake. The southerner felt his heart rate pick up a little. “You always ignore the notes I make. Everyone else picks them up occasionally…looks to see what I’m writing. You never do.”

Blake was caught off guard. “Well, I figure it’s not my business. Your buddies might, but I’m not a member of your band, Adam.” Blake chuckled, glancing back to where the rest of the band was sitting. He could see them through the cracked door, but they weren’t paying any attention. 

Blake shuffled a bit, trying to shake off the weird paranoia he was feeling. Like maybe Adam knew that the real reason he didn’t ever peek was because he already knew the lyrics were about him. About how Adam felt about him. His restraint might fly out the window if he read Adam’s sultry songs knowing whom they were meant for. 

“Maybe I want you to read them.” Blake felt a little panic when Adam stood and walked right into his personal space. His gaze was passionate; it was the kind of intensity Blake usually only saw on stage. Definitely not on the bus with his friends a few feet away. He couldn’t help stealing a glance down at the younger man’s lips as he continued to speak.

“Maybe I want you to see how you make me feel.”

Blake almost couldn’t believe the kid’s boldness. But that that was classic Adam, he’d come to learn…completely fearless. “…Adam-“

To Blake’s surprise Adam put a hand on his chest, which he could feel like fire through his clothing. He almost didn’t hear the singer’s next words. “Don’t give me some bullshit about age either, yeah I’m a little younger than you but we’re both adults. I know you feel this too. I’m not crazy.”

Blake laid a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “You’re not crazy, but I’m not sure you’re thinking clearly. Are you even sure you’re gay?”

Adam inched even more into Blake’s personal space, smirking now. “I know for a fact I’m not gay.” He smiled at Blake’s confused look. “I’ve known since I was 12 that I’m bisexual, if that’s what you’re so worried about. You’re not my first ‘man crush’ if you want to call it that. You just happen to be the most important one.”

Adam’s hand gripped his shirt, pulling Blake downwards. He didn’t resist as Adam kissed him. The connection was instant and electric, and Blake knew from that point on that the both of their lives were going to be way more complicated and much more wonderful than he could’ve ever expected.


	13. Sub Space

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is just weird. I don't even know.

Around mid-morning it was already too late to get out of it. I hadn’t had steady time off in a good six months, and the freedom was doing me in. Blake and I had been languishing in the house for only five days, and it was too much. I don’t do well with free time. At first it had been nice, and we’d spent time outside or at our favorite restaurants. Day three had been a lazy day in and almost unbearable for me. I became less outgoing, less like myself. Day four and I was already pulling away, spending hours on the shower floor under the cold water before Blake found me.

This happened sometimes, but by the time I realized what was happening I was too overwhelmed to do anything about it. It always fell to Blake to pull me out of myself. 

Day five: I’m wandering aimlessly around the house. I shake my head at Blake’s offer of breakfast. Shrug at his suggestions for plans for the day. My attention wanders. I can't focus on him. He frowns when he realizes I’m not speaking anymore. “You’re not all here, are you?” He asks quietly, and the look on his face indicates he already knows the answer. I don’t want to be around him. I don’t want to be around anyone anymore. 

He follows me as I try to get away from him. I linger around the bookshelves in the living room, trying to show him I’m not interested in him at the moment. It doesn’t work. 

“I’m not letting you do this again, Adam.” His voice is deeper, more serious. Light and charming Blake has left the building. The shift makes me pause in what I’m doing. This is something I rarely hear from him. It’s the side of Blake that only I have ever seen, and it only comes out when I can’t escape myself. I think he’s seen my hesitation from across the room because abruptly he’s moving. 

My charade of perusing the bookshelf becomes useless because I hear him approach from behind. I steady my gaze and focus on spines of the books. I refuse to look behind me. Blake doesn’t seem to realize the lack of personal space he’s produced. But then maybe he does and just doesn’t care because all of a sudden he runs his fingers through my hair. How can such a gentle gesture feel threatening? I can’t help but shiver as he leans down towards my exposed neck and inhales. I stand stock still, too surprised to really react, but when a faint feeling of lips on my shoulder blade registers I automatically step forward to escape his reach. I don’t want anyone to touch me because it stops the numbness of my brain. It’s not like I have far to go though, with the wall of books right there. I’m trapped. Before I can get up against the shelf, his warm hands firmly circle my arms just above the elbows. 

He pulls me up against his chest with more force than I think he’s ever used with me, more than even the past times he’s done this. I know what comes next. I can’t find it in myself to struggle, at least not yet. He pulls more, and my arms are straining backwards. This physicality is so different than everything else I experience with Blake. This is not romance, this is not affection, this is something else. Something he does for me. I suddenly am aware of the heat, and blood rushes to my face. I’m so close; I can hear the quiet rustle of his shirt. I focus on breathing. Blake releases my left arm from it’s stressed position, but my relief is short lived because he snakes his arm around me until his open palm rests on my stomach. His fingers are spread wide, covering as much skin as he can reach. I start taking short gasping breaths as his other hand finds its way to my throat. This heat, it’s spreading from him until I’m surrounded by it. It feels as though Blake is all around me. I don’t want heat though. I want the cold, and I want to be alone. 

“Come on Adam, don’t be that way”, he croons into the shell of my ear quietly. His grip on my neck makes use of upward force, slightly gentler but still quite firm. My face is forced to look up, until I’m having to arch my back in an attempt to escape physical discomfort. I’m now flush against him, and his intense stare stops me from trying to remove myself. This bodily intimidation is something I’d almost forgotten, it’s been so long. I’ve haven’t been made to feel small and powerless like this in ages, but suddenly that’s all I can think of: he is manhandling me. I don’t like the feeling at all. I resist every time, and every time he expects it. 

I start to struggle. He grunts with the effort of trying to keep me in his grasp, and his fingers tighten around my throat like a vice. I can’t breathe! I try to bring in air, but it’s not happening. My eyes are watering. I go limp in his arms, and my dead weight seems to catch him off guard because he’s jerked forward as I hit the ground. I feel his arms slip away and I can only find it in me to curl up on the floor. 

I’m trembling all over, and pull my knees to my chest. I stare at the carpeting underneath the couch. There is a moment of absolute stillness. In, out. In, out. Breathe, Adam.

I feel myself slip away. My body does not respond when strong arms lift me, and I am lifeless as Blake carries me to the bedroom. I see the rooms of the house roll by as my head lolls to the side. I can’t focus on anything. I can hear the sound of Blake’s boots on the tile, and the sound of the bed as I’m laid across it. Hands frame my face, and Blake is kissing me. It’s insistent, his lips working against my own, biting gently. His hand shifts to grip by chin, steering me to look up at him. His face is flushed, and his mouth is red. 

“Adam.” He groans, kissing me again, fervently, worshipfully. My heart is aching in my chest. I know I’m crying, I can feel the moisture on my skin. I see Blake reach down, but I don’t flinch as he wipes at my eyes. It doesn’t help at all. I’m jostled as he starts to pull my t-shirt over my head. He’s moving me this way and that. I lay still as he strips me of everything. “I’m going to bring you back to me. You’ll feel better.”

A high whine escapes me as he grips my cock in his hand and tries to bring me to hardness. The stimulation feels far away. I feel as though I am watching this happen to someone else. Fingers find their way to my entrance. Blake’s teeth are nibbling at my ear as his fingers stroke against the inside of me. He curls his fingers and my back arches as I gasp. He groans against my neck before taking one of my hands and bringing it to his lips. The gentle gesture doesn’t fit with what he’s doing to me.

I don’t move as he undresses himself, and I am silent as he bears down on me. He penetrates me slowly, laying saccharine kisses over my skin.

I clench down helplessly, the stretch is nearly unbearable. “Aghh-h...” My mouth is open in a high moan, and the sight is too much of an invitation for Blake to resist. Holding himself up with his arms lets him keep working into me as he leans down and claims my mouth. It’s filthy the way he kisses, as if trying to dominate me this way. Like it will make me come back to him sooner. The sounds I make are muffled and jarred by every time his hips slam into mine. He pulls me by the hair so that my neck is exposed, so that my body is forced to arch into him. I feel hot and cold as comes inside of me. He settles in, content to remain where he is for now. With gentle hands he turns my face and claims my mouth. “Come back to me Adam.”

My breath rattles out of my chest, and the tears are something I can still feel staining my cheeks. I blink as Blake kisses them away; his hands running soothingly down the side of my body. The flush is fading now, my heart rate slowing. I feel as though the sounds of him are louder now, no longer muffled. 

“Are you okay, honey?” He’s murmuring against my nape as he inhales deeply, taking in the scent of him and I. Of us. I nod, but I can still feel his eyes on me. I know he won’t be satisfied by this alone, and so I wrangle up the strength to speak. “Yes…I’m okay.” My voice is a bit croaky, but Blake smiles slightly at the sound of it. I know having a silent partner can sometimes be disconcerting. “I don’t like it when you go away.” He whispers. It’s a confession he makes in the dark every time this happens. It doesn’t stop it from happening again though. 

I shift, turning to curl into Blake’s chest. I let him have me. He’s warm and wraps an arm around me. The hurt in my heart is lessened, and I can feel my mind is more peaceful already than it has been in weeks. Things are bearable again. For now.


	14. A Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because StayCalmAndBergeron cracked me up. Merry Christmas!

Blake knew that Adam was Jewish, and that coming up on their first Holiday season together he might have to compromise concerning what they’d celebrate or what traditions they’d observe. He’d been wondering if he’d have to give up Christmas for a year or two and learn the ways of Hanukkah. He needn’t have worried. 

Adam was taking to Christmas like a child to a candy store. Blake had stood by and observed his boyfriend go to town decorating their house and going absolutely mad with the Christmas shopping for their friends and family. There’d even been gingerbread houses involved, though Blake couldn’t say he was upset with how that particular evening had ended in very sweet and very sticky love-making. 

Come Christmas morning Blake had tried to mentally prepare himself for the level of excitement Adam might be sporting about the day’s festivities, and so he wasn’t surprised when he woke up to an empty bed. Adam was probably already downstairs readying everything for their day of Christmas fun. Nothing could have prepared him for the sight that greeted him as he ambled into the living room. 

Blake’s hands flew to his mouth, trying to stifle the laughter. He couldn’t keep it together though, not with Bones and Charlie sitting next to where Adam was sprawled like nothing was unusual. 

Like Adam wasn’t butt ass naked under their Christmas tree with nothing but a bow covering his you-know-what. His lover was a crazy dude, Blake knew, and that’s why they had so much fun together. But this…this was nuts. Literally. 

“Adam,” Blake guffawed. “I know there’s gonna be a learnin’ curve for you with the whole Christmas thing but this isn’t what it means when they say ‘chestnuts roasting’-“ He couldn’t even get it all out before wheezing out another laugh. 

Adam’s expression was indignant for maybe half of a second before he rolled his eyes. “Just goes to show what you get for trying to be sexy around here.” He grumbled. With absolutely zero shame he got up and perfunctorily pulled off the bow he’d put over himself. That shut Blake up right away. An unhindered view of Adam’s flawless body in daylight was a rare thing indeed. 

“Where do ya think you’re goin?” Blake hummed. He stepped forward to block Adam’s path. His boyfriend huffed in annoyance but didn’t try to go around him. The first sign of self-consciousness was now taking hold, Blake could see. The country singer was having a good time ogling his lover, and to his amusement Adam was now slightly pink about the ears. It was adorable. 

The shorter man looked up at his boyfriend defiantly. “Make your move, cowboy. I’m freeing my ass off-oh!“

His sass was curtailed into a gasp as Blake grabbed at his ass and pulled him up against his body. “Don’t worry honey. I’ll warm you up.”

He leaned down and kissed Adam deeply, trying to convey just how much he really did appreciate the (still hilarious) gesture. He had someone truly special on his hands, and vowed to never forget how lucky he was. 

“Mmm,” Adam licked his lips dazedly as they came up for air. “Merry Christmas to me.”


	15. Competition

Blake's eyes lit up and he slammed his hand down on his button hard. One verse in and he knew what he was hearing was it. Whatever ‘it’ was. He had to see who was singing this way. His chair turned and he wasn't disappointed. 

He was a lanky little thing, maybe a little muscle on him, but he was wrapped around that mike stand like he was making love to it. Blake guessed early twenties, which explained the girlish screams coming from the audience. 

Blake bobbed along to the sensual beat (Remix to Ignition- definitely a bold choice, and not what he'd have picked for this vocalist. The kid had guts.) and tried not to let the pang in his chest show on his face when he heard Usher, Christina and Shakira turn their chairs. 

The contestant must've registered the sound despite being wrapped up in his rendition because he looked up through his lashes at the four of them and smirked. Ohh, this kid knew exactly what he was doing, Blake thought as he clapped loudly. He had to get this one. 

His voice was so different, high for a male, but damn his range was impressive. He wondered where production had found this kid- he was surprised he hadn't been discovered before now. 

His mind began racing with ways he could wrangle this guy- he knew he wasn't the obvious choice but he was just as sure that he was the real deal. Blake got his game face on.

The singer wrapped up beautifully -holy crap; he had vibrato in there too apparently- and took a cheeky bow. 

Grinning, Blake opened his mouth to speak but someone else beat him to the punch. 

"You! You are so CUTE!" Christina was the first to jump in, gushing to the delight of the crowd. She smiled knowingly. "But that's just icing on the cake isn't it? Cause you're the whole package." 

The kid was blushing a little bit, tugging at the collar of his tee shirt. Damn it. “Thank you, Christina.”

"Wait a minute- we never got a name!" Usher crowed, "What's your name man?"

"Adam! Adam Levine." The kid said through a sunny smile.

"Well, Adam," Usher said smoothly, "Let me be the first to welcome you to Los Angeles and to the show, because you made it man!" 

More cheering. 

Adam piped up, leaning into his mike a little bit, "Thank you so much! Actually though, I'm from LA, born and raised."

This got enthusiastic screams from the whole auditorium, and Adam smiled in appreciation of his hometown crowd. 

"Ooh! Are you spanish? You look a little spanish." Shakira asked eagerly. 

Adam shook his head and Blake felt a rush of relief. That would've sealed the deal for Shakira for sure.

"I can speak a little though," Adam said readily. He seemed eager to prove himself. Blake knew that was a good thing. 

“Well,” Shakira said flirtatiously, “Maybe if you pick me as your coach I can teach you a little more.” Blake’s heart sank because Adam looked star struck.

“I don’t think he came here to learn Spanish, Shakira,” Blake interrupted, “I think this kid came here to win.” This got some ‘ooohs’ from the audience and a few giggles from the Latina. 

Blake faced the contestant. “I could tell right away that you’re the real deal, Adam. Your voice is unique and I think I could help you win this thing. I know I’m not the obvious choice but me turnin’ around first is a good indication of just how sure I am about you. So let’s do this!”

The crowd was going wild, shouting out the coaches’ names. Adam looked happy and excited but conflicted. 

“Oh my god,” He spoke into the mike, shaking his head. “This is way harder than I thought it’d be. I came in with a certain coach in mind…”

Blake’s heart was pounding. 

“…but I think I’m going to go with Blake!”

Blake jumped out of his chair, his arms up in victory. “Yes!” He gestured Adam on down and clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re not gonna regret this Adam. We can win this, I’m sure of it.”

Adam smiled up at him, his eyes sparkling under his tousled hair. Blake felt a weird flip-flopping in his stomach as he watched his new team member run off to the back.   
He brushed off the feeling in favor of gloating to his fellow coaches. Usher and Shakira looked shocked, and Christina was pouting in her seat. The Southerner just HAD to go rub it in, because he was pretty sure he’d just scored this season’s winner. 

…

Adam was ecstatic. His friends rushed him the second he got backstage. He couldn’t really hear because they were all talking at once but he hugged all of them. He was on The Voice! He’d been trying since he was 17 to get his name out there as a singer, but all the labels he’d talked to weren’t willing to risk it big on his unique voice. 

Now 22, this had been a last ditch attempt to see if he actually was any good at singing or if it had all just been in his head. He had been scraping by in the city, singing gigs and trying to get things to work out as he slogged through a retail job during the day and bartended at night. It’d been rough, and he was sick of second guessing his decision to delay college in favor of trying music. If he thought about it for too long, the ‘fearless’ decision just seemed like a dumb one sometimes. 

He’d been lucky though. Making it through pre-screening so he could audition for the coaches was amazing- he’d jumped for it when he saw who the coaches would be this season. Ironically, the one he’d ended up picking was a Voice veteran who’d been with the show since season one. 

When he saw Blake turn around with that smile on his face, new life had been given to his hopes and dreams. He had gone in thinking he’d pick Usher because of the type of music he wanted to make, but something had changed on stage. He had felt some kind of connection with the country singer and he just couldn’t explain it. He hoped picking Blake wouldn’t bite him in the end. 

He decided not to worry about it too much just yet and enjoy the moment. Win or lose, things were going to change for him now. 

…

Blake walked into the practice room. He smiled because Adam and the band were already there along with the cameras. “Hey, man! How’re ya doing?” He hadn’t seen Adam since his audition, which had been a few weeks ago.

“Great! Stoked to get started.” Adam smiled, looking completely comfortable. This was a rare thing, Blake knew. It often took contestants a few weeks to really get how to act natural while being constantly filmed. Some never figured it out and they never lasted long. Adam’s confidence was a good sign. 

“Did all the prep freak you out? I heard they really lay it on thick in the beginning.” He was of course referring to the onslaught of contracts, public relations and non-disclosure agreements everyone had to sign, in addition to the social media and post-production commitments. It was a lot for newcomers. 

Adam shook his head. “Nope. I was kind of expecting it to be honest. The show’s pretty visible, so I get that they’re covering all their bases.”

He was smart too. Blake was really feeling optimistic now. The country singer picked up the file of sheet music he’d curated shortly after the blinds for Adam. He’d gone through all of his contestants audition footage and picked songs based on their strengths, but with Adam’s he could fully admit to himself that he took extra care. He walked Adam through the songs he’d chosen, and they discussed which ones he liked, what he hated, and what type of musician Adam aspired to be. Pretty soon they had a game plan in place, with potential songs lined up all the way to the top 10 should Adam make it that far. 

The pair were pulled out of their chatter when the camera crew wrapped up. “Thanks Blake. I think we have everything we need.”

“Thanks guys.” Blake nodded as they made their way out. 

“Wait,” Adam looked over his shoulder at the band members, who were still hanging out on the other side of the room. “Are we already done…?”

Blake chuckled. “Nah. They just needed some footage. They’ll move on to contestants from other teams who’re doin’ the same thing as us right now. They can’t shoot everything, we’d never get anything done.” 

Adam smiled in what looked like relief. Blake watched him loosen up slightly with the absence of the cameras. “You’re a natural Adam. Ya did good.”

“Really?” His eyebrows shot up. “I didn’t feel like it at all. It is a little weird, I tried to pretend they weren’t there.”

Blake nodded. “That’s a perfect strategy. Just keep doin’ that and you’ll be fine. Now let’s really get down to business. I’m gonna have you start practicing right now…it’s never too early to start preparing and these falsettos might be tricky.”

The guys’ attention was drawn by this statement, and they readied themselves to play as Blake handed over the song they’d picked. As he settled back into his chair by the piano he couldn’t help but watch Adam as he made his way over to the mike. His eyes lingered over Adam’s form, particularly the artfully distressed jeans he was wearing with his Metallica tee. He shook his head a little bit, realizing what he was doing. 

Looking at a contestant that way wasn’t okay, he reminded himself. Even if they were as good looking as Adam. He had to focus. 

None of the singing ended up being tricky for Adam. After a few minutes warming up, he was crooning into the microphone with the vocal control of a singer twice his age. Blake’s level of respect for the kid grew as he observed him slip easily in and out of head-voice, not overdoing anything as he worked through the big finish of the song. 

When he finally fell silent he got a few whoops and claps from the band. Blake grinned as Adam blushed a little bit, busting into laughter as he took a little bow. Blake had the upmost respect for the show’s musicians, and if they had that kind of reaction to Adam then he really had gotten lucky. 

“Holy crap.” Blake whistled. “Well…I don’t know what advice to offer you. That was pretty much perfect. Most go overboard, but you understand the subtlety really well. Have you ever made a record before?”

Adam shook his head. “I’ve recorded a few demos and I’ve been gigging around LA for a couple years, but never anything big. I’ve never been signed before, though I almost was when I was 20.”

“Honestly Adam, that shocks me. It really does.” Blake confided. “You are so good, and I know I said it during the blinds but I really think you can win this.” 

Adam didn’t know what to say. It was only his first session with his coach, and he hadn’t in a million years expected this kind of confidence from the man. He was really famous after all, a staple of today’s country music scene. Hell, even Adam had heard of him and he didn’t even listen to country. Could he really be that lucky, to be Blake’s favorite on his team? 

“Thank you Blake. It means a lot to me.” Adam said, leaning forward on his stool. “I’m going to work really hard, I promise.”

…

Just as Blake expected, Adam blew through the next few rounds of the competition easily. The southerner lost a fair few contestants from his team, all the coaches did, but he still had his front-runner and that was what mattered. He was feeling pretty good because Christina was the only one who had more singers still in the competition than him. He wasn’t going to lose to her again though, not after last season. If she tied him for number of wins he was never going to hear the end of it. 

The past couple of weeks had been great though. He’d exchanged numbers with all his team members, but Adam especially had taken to it, not afraid of texting him all the time. They’d found a lot to talk about, with Adam being local. Blake was the consummate LA transplant and so even though he’d been living here for the better part of three years he still didn’t know the ins and outs of the city. Adam had been giving him insider information about restaurants, stores and bars, and Blake often found himself texting the younger man nights and weekends when he needed somewhere to go. 

When he showed up to Adam’s suggested places, a sneaking wish to see his team member turn up would always creep into his brain. He didn’t know exactly what it meant. As they worked through coaching sessions Adam would follow up, asking Blake what he thought of this place or that. He’d have Blake, the band, and even the camera crew in stitches with stories of wild nights at this bar or that club. The kid was bold, silly, and a little bit ridiculous. Blake loved it. 

He was happy that Adam wasn’t afraid to be real with him or anyone else on the show. He let his playful cockiness shine through and Blake really thought it was helping him through the competition. Much to his amusement Adam had excitedly showed him how his new Instagram and Twitter accounts were blowing up with followers and likes. Even though he was a contestant, he’d already garnered a fervent fan base of teen girls but when he ribbed Adam about it he laughed it off, dismissing it as stupid. Blake tried not to think about how inexplicably happy he’d become at Adam’s disinterest in the female adoration. He was determined not to make any assumptions because of it either. 

…

The live shows were finally here! Adam had been buzzing around with excitement all week because of it. Some of his fellow contestants were having anxiety over it, but all he felt was happy anticipation. Adam loved the pressure; it gave him this incredible rush when he knew that anything could happen. He couldn’t wait. Blake had even let him choose his own song for this week, and he was excited to work on his creativity. He was waiting for his coach to show up, and was messing around on a guitar with the band in the meantime. 

He was on a roll, going back and forth with the actual guitarist when Blake walked in. 

“Ya’ll are really shreddin’!” Blake said as he sat down. “Is that the song you chose?”

Adam shook his head, setting down the instrument and trotting over to sit next to Blake on the piano bench. He tried to be subtle as he inhaled Blake’s scent. Sitting this close to Blake was something Adam secretly enjoyed because the older man smelled kind of amazing, like sandalwood and musk and something else he couldn’t name. He tried to refocus his thoughts. 

“Nope, I picked something else actually.” Adam pulled out the sheet music from his back pocket and handed it over. For probably the first time since week one, Adam felt a little bit nervous as Blake glanced at the title and raised his eyebrows. 

Blake let out a low whistle. Adam had chosen Prince’s ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’. “Man I’m not going to lie to you.” Blake started seriously. “This is a really brave choice. I know you’re a bold guy, but this is going to be a real challenge. You sure you want to do this live?” 

Adam bit his lip but nodded. “Yeah, I think if I rehearse it a ton I’ll actually do better because it’s live. I know there’s that really high part towards the end, but whenever I was doing gigs I always sang my best when there was that pressure to be perfect on stage for the crowd. I think I can do it.”

Blake observed him as he spoke, and for some reason Adam felt heat travel up his neck. Being this close to Blake forced him to look up more than usual to make eye contact… it was making him feel weird. When he met him he’d noticed right away how fucking tall Blake was, but he’d never thought about it more than that. Until now at least. Blake really was handsome, in a much more rugged, manly way than what he was used to seeing in this city. He had started to understand the appeal of country guys these past few weeks. Looking into Blake’s searing blue eyes was scrambling his brain. 

“Adam?”

The younger man blinked. “Huh?”

Blake chuckled. “I was saying if you really feel that confident about it we can give it a shot, but I don’t want you to be put out if it doesn’t end up working. We should probably have a back up song, just in case.”

Adam nodded, trusting his coach’s instincts. They got to work. 

…

When Adam stepped out onto stage at the end of the week, he knew he had underestimated how he would feel in the moment. His heart was pounding in his throat as he heard Carson run through his intro and reiterate (again) how America was watching right at this moment and voting for their favorites. He knew he was Blake’s favorite, he just hoped he was the nation’s too. 

As he heard the upbeat beginnings of his song choice, Adam took a deep breath and looked out over the crowd. He was feeling a little flustered until he saw Blake. His coach was smiling at him in that knowing way, and suddenly Adam felt safe and reassured, as if they were back in the rehearsal room. He jumped into the music with gusto and started throwing in some sensual dance moves, something he hadn’t done before. 

The crowd was going wild for it, and though he couldn’t hear him, he saw Blake cheering in his chair while sporting a surprised expression. He hadn’t yet put his all into a song, but right now he was losing himself in the music and the vibes were allowing him to channel his inner rock star. He was really putting on a show and having so much fun doing it. 

As he sang the lyrics, their meaning started to sink in more than they had all week. Suddenly a realization hit Adam in the head like a ton of bricks. He was singing these words with sincerity because he was singing them to his coach. He had feelings for Blake.

A rush of adrenaline had him tingling from his ears to the tip of his toes, and he had to focus to finish out the rest of the song. He beamed and waved as he made his way off stage. The next commercial break he got a text from Blake: ‘Nailed it! Proud of ya!’

Adam was now more determined than ever to stick around and win this thing. The longer he stayed, the more time he would have with Blake. Feeling brave, he texted back. ‘Awesome! Let’s go out and celebrate after this.’

The next few minutes felt like an eternity, but it was worth it when the reply pinged on his mobile. 

‘Best idea you’ve ever had rock star.’

…

Post show interviews seemed to take forever to Adam, but he tried to be charming as best he could. Blake was with him and his other two remaining contestants, and they bantered back and forth for the benefit of the cameras. As usual, Adam ended up saying something ridiculous that had Blake laughing too hard to talk, and that’s when the PR team had them wrap it up. 

Blake had his driver take them to one of Adam’s favorite dive bars, and they experienced no hassle as they chose a back table on the patio where no one paid them the slightest bit of attention. The breezy weather was perfect, mixing the scents of cigarette smoke, good food, and Blake’s cologne in the most enticing way. 

“I like this place,” Blake drawled. “It reminds me of Oklahoma a little bit. It’s not often I find such a laid back crowd in an LA bar.”

Adam nodded. It was one of the reasons he loved this particular place. He’d worked here right when he’d turned 21, and he was grateful he’d found it. It was definitely more rustic than his usual places but sometimes low key was just what he needed. He secretly hoped Blake was impressed with his diverse tastes, and would think him more mature because of them. “I’m glad you like it. I was hoping it would be a nice break from the whole ‘Hollywood scene’ thing.”

Blake nodded his appreciation and let Adam order them his favorite drinks and appetizers. Adam’s apprehensions about it being weird between them outside of the show turned out to be for nothing; their conversation was effortless. They had so much to talk about because they were from such different worlds, all while having the common ground of music to fall back on. Adam had never known someone he was the opposite of and yet identical to at the same time.

Four rounds in and they were leaning into each other’s space across their table. The pair was tipsy and babbling away about nonsense, but their voices were hushed and conspiratorial. Adam couldn’t take his eyes off of Blake in the dim lighting. He looked so fucking good with his crinkly eyes and his dimples and his curls, and Adam wanted him. 

Before he could think better of it Adam leaned up into Blake’s space and kissed him. He felt a rush of affection, running his hand over the collar of Blake’s jacket and tugging him forward more. Blake’s surprise faded after a moment and he unfroze. Adam moaned as Blake began to respond, deepening the kiss. When he pulled away for air Adam looked up into his eyes, his lust leaving him dazed. 

Arousal lit through him, the difference in their sizes very much on his mind. He’d been with men and women before, but he’d never been with a man as big as Blake. He couldn’t help but think of the older man’s experience, how he would probably know his way around the bedroom better than anyone Adam had ever slept with. He was getting way ahead of himself. He should probably come back to reality, but he found he didn’t really want to. Blake had kissed him back, and that was a very good sign. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that for such a long time.” Adam breathed as he sat back in his chair. He looked across their drinks at his coach, his desire almost choking him as he stared at Blake’s flushed cheeks and reddened mouth. 

A beat of silence later, Adam’s head cleared enough for nerves to surge again. Blake wasn’t saying anything. Had he just fucked everything up?

“We should get out of here.” Blake’s accent was thicker, his words slower. Adam couldn’t gauge his tone. He opened his mouth but shut it again as Blake stood and threw some bills on the table. The shorter man followed him silently out of the bar, watching him text his driver to pick them up. They stood outside in the cool California air saying nothing. Adam hazarded a few glances at Blake as they waited. He didn’t look mad or disgusted. Adam tried to hide his confusion. 

The car arrived and Blake let him climb in first, giving directions to the chauffer. Adam kept his to his own personal space and looked out the window as they drove, trying to keep his cool even though he felt a little sick now. This feeling abated when he felt warm, rough fingers take his hand. He looked over in surprise. Blake was seated casually next to him, acting natural, but his fingers were definitely entwined with his. Elation rose in Adam’s chest as Blake’s gaze fell to his lips. He didn’t make any moves though, and Adam began to understand. They had been in public. It had been enormously reckless for him to do what he’d done. Even now, they weren’t by themselves. 

The car slowed to a stop in front of his apartment, and Adam began to get out. “Thanks for the ride, man.” 

“No problem. Congrats on tonight again Adam, I’ll see ya later.” Blake called through the door. The younger man was barely through his front door when the text came through. 

‘I’ve been wanting the same thing for a long time too. Will talk tomorrow.’

Adam wasn’t going to be able to sleep a wink. 

…

Blake stayed in his trailer longer than usual the next day, putting off going to rehearsals. Adam’s session was the first of the day and he still hadn’t figured out what he wanted to say to him. From the time he’d woken up this morning till now he’d gone back and forth on what he should do about their kiss. His happiness about it was overshadowed by the regret he felt over his text. Had it been premature? Had he revealed too much? He wanted to let this unfold, but knew it was against all the rules for the show. It wasn’t fair to anyone in the competition, and it was probably creepy too. He was way older than Adam. 

As he paced around with his coffee he also couldn’t help but wonder if Adam was acting with ulterior motives. Some people would do anything to make it, after all. Adam’s earnest, hopeful smile from last night appeared in his mind and he immediately felt guilty for thinking it. No, that kiss had been real. He’d felt it in his bones. He’d only known Adam for a short time but he at least knew he was a good, honest person. He was still in shock that Adam had made a move on him…he’d really thought the chemistry he’d felt between than them had been one-sided. He didn’t know what to do. 

The coach shook his head, resigned. He made for the door, deciding to just see where Adam’s head was at. He’d go from there. 

When he arrived Adam was messing around on the piano, bobbing his head to the catchy tune he was playing. Blake didn’t recognize it. It was probably an original. Adam had told him he wrote songs but Blake hadn’t had the chance to hear any of them.   
When Adam noticed Blake he perked up, and the older man realized he was probably dying to talk about last night. Too bad they’d have to wait through the entire session. They were on camera at the moment. 

It felt a little bit strange but they worked through it, acting as if nothing had changed. Blake still sat next to him at the piano, smiling down at Adam and offering advice as he worked through next week’s song. He did his best not to be distracted by Adam’s tank top. It was tighter that his usual shirts. He wondered if the clothing choice was intentional. 

“Blake, I’m really sorry.” Adam blurted out the second the door closed behind the camera crew and the musicians. “What I did was stupid, I realize that now.”

Blake shook his head, anxious to reassure him. “It’s okay, Adam. Really. I just have to be careful, and you should be too. I’m not mad.”

Adam breathed a sigh of relief before scooting closer to Blake. The older man could feel the heat coming off of him from this distance. “Well, did you mean what you said in your text?” Adam’s tone was breathier, and he was using those dark eyes to his advantage. “I really hope you did, but even if you didn’t… I’m still glad I at least got to kiss you once.” 

Blake felt a rush of lust. He had to keep his head on straight, even if the way Adam was looking at him was turning him on like nothing else. “I meant it. But you gotta understand, Adam. This isn’t allowed. And I’m a lot older than you. There’s a lot that could go wrong.”

“True…” Adam was whispering now, inching closer and closer still. “But it could all go right.”

Blake’s eyebrows rose as his contestant squirmed into his lap. He seemed unable to help himself. Blake’s hands fell to Adam’s hips automatically, able to feel the toned muscles of that lithe body beneath the tank top, and his face felt like it was on fire- Adam was breathing words into his ear that were so filthy it was making him choke on air. He tried to look over his shoulder at the door- anyone could walk by- but Adam grabbed his chin and forced him to look down into mischievous eyes. “Adam.” He breathed. 

“Come on,” Adam murmured, “You know you want to.”

Blake couldn’t argue. Didn’t really want to. Throwing caution to the wind, he leaned down and claimed Adam’s mouth with his own.


	16. New Years

Adam tried to keep his legs wide open in order to accommodate his companion. Blake was lying on top of him, and the weight was deliciously heavy. Their breath was intermingling, lips inches apart, and the scents of coffee, smoke and champagne were heavy in the air. It was New Years Eve. 

Blake felt so good against him, so solid even though Adam had to breathe shallowly because of the pressure. His heart beat a little faster as Blake leaned down and connected their lips sleepily, licking into his mouth. Adam moaned, feeling Blake’s tongue against the corner of his mouth, then against his teeth. 

He closed his eyes and felt the light press of long fingers cradling his face, guiding him so that Blake could explore him at his leisure. The pair was nested in a massive pile of blankets in front of the TV. The nonsense being broadcast from Times Square was muted, but the light from the screen illuminated Blake’s eyes. 

The fire had faded to nothing but flickering embers at least an hour ago, but that was okay. They were keeping each other warm. 

“Any New Year’s resolutions?” Blake asked against Adam’s cheekbone before nosing his hairline affectionately. Adam bit his lip, holding in a stuttered moan. “Uhh,” Adam always had trouble thinking straight when Blake tried to start conversations in the middle of these moments. “Finally have sex in one of those big red chairs?” 

Blake snorted into the blanket, his laughter shaking Adam’s body as well. The smaller man kept a grip on Blake’s shoulders, a big, dumb smile spreading over his face as Blake tried to regain his composure. 

“You never know,” Blake chuckled. “This year could be the year.”

Adam let his hands wander down Blake’s back, his fingers running over the fabric of his jeans. “What about you?”

“Hmm, let me think,” Blake said quietly. His expression was tender, and his twinkling eyes made Adam feel like his head was about to explode from happiness. “…I resolve to finally make the love of my life mine.”

“What do you mean?” Adam eyes search Blake’s face, heart racing. “You already have me.”

“Baby you have no idea how happy it makes me when you say that.” Blake says, a touch of seriousness in his tone telling Adam that there’s some thought that’s gone into this moment. “But I mean in a more permanent sense. For everyone to see.”

The country singer uses one hand to push himself up until he’s sitting cross-legged, and he pulls something small and shiny out of his front pocket. Adam’s breathing quickly now, and he scrambles so he can sit up in front of Blake. Is that what he thinks it is?

“Adam,” Blake starts, and jesus, Adam can already feel a few tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. “We’ve been best friends for a long time, and you’ve taught me so much about how love should be. My life has become something I could’ve never dreamed of, never dared to hope for, and I don’t ever want to go back to living life without you. Because you make my life worth living.”

He takes one of Adam’s hands, clasping it in both of his. “Will you marry me?”

Adam nods shakily; smiling so hard his face is going to be sore tomorrow. “Yes. Yes! Hell yeah!”

Blake’s laughing happily, and slips the ring onto Adam’s hand. Adam stares down at it, dazed. The metalwork is understated, the finish a silvery matte. It’s so…so him. 

“It’s perfect.” He says, hushed.

“You’re perfect.” Blake says, eyes bright. 

He wraps Adam up in a bone-crushing hug, and they’re both giggling as they fall over sideways into the blankets with a thump. 

2015 is going to be one hell of a year.


	17. Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: graphic

Blake happily slammed the trunk of the car, waving to the driver to signal that he’d gotten all his stuff from the back. One of the perks of being on The Voice was that the network was fully willing to pay for car service when Blake was in LA. He was incredibly grateful. Christmas in Tishomingo with the family had been amazing, but he was ready to see Adam. 

Their relationship was fairly new. They’d only been dating for a few months, and so prior to the holiday season they’d decided to spend their holidays with their respective families. He’d missed Adam so much though, and they’d been texting stupid shit to each other nearly the whole time they’d been apart. 

After hopping into the car at LAX, Blake spent the entire ride daydreaming about his reunion with Adam and how they could spend the next few days off that they had together. He’d sent a text to the younger man as soon as he’d landed but hadn’t gotten a reply. He wasn’t worried though- it was early and he might still be asleep. 

Dragging his bags up to the front of Adam’s house, he smiled as he imagined Adam under a pile of blankets, with his dogs snuggling against him on the bed. He was turning into such a sentimental piece of shit. 

“Adam!” He called, unlocking the door with his key. No answer.

“Huh,” Blake murmured to himself. Adam was usually a light sleeper, woken up whenever someone drove through the gate and up to the house. He frowned, noticing the mess of the living room laid before him. It looked as though things had been thrown from the bookshelves around the TV, and the floor was scattered with remotes, books and DVDs. 

Adam was messy, but not this messy. Blake idly wondered if Adam had thrown a party while he was away. The singer was pulled out of his thoughts by the whining and scratching he heard. Walking over to the kitchen allowed him to see the dogs crying at the back door. 

Blake started to feel uneasy when he saw the scratches against the glass. It looked like the pair had really gone at it and were anxious to come inside. It wasn’t like Adam to leave his dogs out for too long…he was an attentive owner. Blake walked over and was surprised to see the door was unlocked. He opened it for them and they ran immediately to their food bowls, wolfing down kibble at a lightning pace. Adam was always so careful about that stuff. He never left doors unlocked. 

Blake rubbed his hands on his jeans anxiously and made for the stairs. His things lay forgotten by the front door. “Adam?” He yelled again, this time with a little more urgency. Feeling funny, he climbed the steps slowly. The hallway was dark, but the door to Adam’s bedroom was open. He peeked in. 

“Adam?” He said into the darkness quietly. “Ya sleepin’?” 

He stepped into the bedroom. Adam was only a shadow in the bed, a lump under the covers. He flipped on the light. 

The first thing he registered was blood. 

So much blood. 

Adam was facing the other way, but one of his hands was laid across his own throat. His fingers were relaxed, but looked as if they’d been clutching at his windpipe. The blood was soaked into the sheets beneath him. Blake’s limbs felt like ice. “Adam!”

He stumbled over to the bed. The singer scrambled onto the mattress, hesitating before turning Adam’s head with shaking fingers. He felt a weird vacuum in his mind as he was met with open, blank eyes. The blood seemed to have come from his mouth, and it stained his lower lip and his neck. 

“Please, baby.” He whispered. “Adam, come on. Wake up.”

He gave him a little shake. Felt for a pulse. Nothing. 

Blake couldn’t breathe. “O-ohh my god.”

He gently cupped Adam’s face with both hands, feeling stung by how cold Adam’s skin was. So pale. 

He searched Adam’s torso for an injury and felt nauseous when he saw the gashes on his lover’s torso. It looked as though someone had stabbed him. Blake drew in a ragged sob, grabbing Adam’s shoulders and shaking harder. Adam shook like a ragdoll, head lolling, and was utterly still when Blake let go. He stumbled back, off the bed with a hand over his mouth in horror. 

“ADAM!” Blake screamed. This couldn’t be happening. 

“ADAM!!”

 

“BLAKE!” He was being shaken hard, his head thumping against the pillow beneath him. “Wake UP!”

Blake’s heart was beating wildly in his chest, and he reached out blindly to seize Adam, who was staring down at him in alarm. His hair was tousled, his eyes sleepy, but Adam was alive. Very much alive. 

“Whoa-“ Adam squeaked as he was grabbed suddenly. 

Adam allowed Blake to cling to him, crouching bewilderedly over his boyfriend as he clung to his pajamas and began to cry in earnest. “Blake…what the hell?”

“I-I thought you were… someone had killed-“ He began to bring in gasps of air. It clicked into place for Adam, and he brought his hand to Blake’s unruly curls in comfort, cradling the back of his head to his chest. 

“It’s okay Blake, it’s okay. Everything’s fine. It was a nightmare.”

He shifted slightly, opting to just lie on top of his boyfriend until he was able to get a hold of himself. Blake’s tears faded as Adam played with his hair more and more- light kisses on his cheeks and soothing hands settling against his neck calmed the country singer down until he had composure. 

“You okay, babe?” Adam murmured quietly against Blake’s skin.

“Yeah,” Blake said thickly. “Just…holy shit. That was awful.”

Adam kissed him, not minding the salty tears on Blake’s skin. “Don’t worry. You’re fine. We’re fine.”

"I love you."

"I love you too."


	18. Pizza

“Oh…fuck.”

The oath was muffled and it was the only noise in the silent hotel room. Blake reached one hand blindly out from underneath the covers, searching for his mobile. His head was pounding and his mouth felt like something had died in it. 

Careful not to let any light breach the protective covering of his blanket, Blake brought his phone to where his head was resting on his pillow. He looked at the (thankfully dimmed) screen blearily. 2:00 in the afternoon. He should’ve been up hours ago.

“This is why I fucking hate LA.” The country star grumbled. He’d been flown out for a benefit concert, a commitment he had happily signed on for, but when he’d arrived yesterday the label had connected him to some people already in the area. Having only been to this city three times before, he hadn't had much of a way to skip out early. 

They’d taken him out to dinner, and then hit a few parties…one thing led to another, and basically he felt as though he was dying. He knew how to hold his liquor, but these California fuckers could PARTY. He couldn't even remember getting back last night. 

Blake tried to scrounge up the mental capacity to walk over to the bathroom and splash some water on his face, but it didn’t happen. He thought about sitting up… but that would require a significant level of energy. Energy he did not have. Unbelievably, his stomach growled at this moment. He was starving. 

An omelette sounded like heaven, but going to the hotel restaurant or even getting the room service menu was as big an obstacle as Mount Everest. He opened the Pizza Hut app on his phone and clicked on the biggest, cheesiest pizza he saw. 

He contemplated the obscenity of his laziness for a second, then began typing in the special request section:

‘Bring pizza up to room, let yourself in. Bring 1 liter of water. Will pay extra.’

He stared at it, making himself laugh. He was pretty fucking hilarious sometimes in his opinion. 

He finished his order. Exhausted from the incredible focus this task had required, Blake let himself doze lightly as he waited for his breakfast to arrive. 

When there’s the very real sound of the door being pushed open, Blake wakes up fully. 

“Uhh, hello?”

God, what a prize idiot he was. He hadn’t actually expected the courier to be able to get in! This was a hotel for fucks sake! Blake turned clumsily under the covers, pulling them up to his chest as he spotted a bemused guy standing at the foot of the bed with a pizza box and a liter bottle of water. 

“How’d you get in?” He grunts.

The man shifts a little uncomfortably. “The front desk gave me a key. Said this happens a lot. Where do you want it?”

“Huh?” Blake is having a hard time focusing. The guy is wearing the obligatory Pizza Hut cap, but other than that…he’s wearing a plain white tee shirt that is tight enough to display a frankly beautiful figure, which is coupled with some dark jeans that seem to fit sinfully well. Who was this guy?

“Where. Do you want. Your pizza?” He replies slowly and loud enough to make Blake wince. 

“Right here’s fine,” He gestures to the side table. “…Just…don’t talk so loud.”

He hears the man stifle a snort, but when he gets close enough to put down the foot his eyes widen. “Hey! You’re that country singer! What’s his…Shelton? Blake Shelton?”

Just his luck. Blake has managed to stumble across probably the only fan of his that lives in this town (a really HOT one) and he looks like death warmed over. 

He tries his best for something resembling a smile but it’s more of a grimace. His head still hurts. “Yeah, man. What’s yer name?”

He smiles, chuckling. “I’m Adam. Don’t worry. I’m not gonna ask you for a selfie or anything. Your music’s good, dude. And I’m not even a country person.” 

He picks up his thermal bag, slinging it over his shoulder. Blake almost doesn’t want him to go, but he’s hovering anyhow. 

“Er…” He hums uncomfortably.

Duh, Blake thinks, you moron. “Sorry, I forgot. My wallets in my jeans over there. Just take however much, man. I owe you one.”

Adam searches a little awkwardly for the wallet, giving Blake a nice view as he bends and picks it up off the floor. 

His back is turned for a long moment, making Blake think he’s probably taking a lot, but he finds he doesn’t care. If he’s gonna be looted by a local, it might as well be a sexy one.

“Enjoy your meal.” Adam says before letting himself out, shutting the door quietly behind him. 

Later, when Blake is fed, watered and showered, he finds a Pizza Hut card tucked into his wallet. Adam’s name and a smiley face are drawn onto it, along with a phone number.


	19. Holding Back

"Why do you always do this?" Blake is pained. He’s hurt, but he’s hungry too, and that’s why he always ends up here. 

When Miranda’s away and he’s feeling lonely and vulnerable, Adam is able to sense it. He’s like a predator that way, and he calls for Blake in the evenings because Blake always, always comes running. 

Blake had let himself into Adam’s house when he’d received the text. He knew that the congenial funny-guy Adam would fall away when he arrived. Sure enough, when he had stepped into Adam’s bedroom and followed his voice to the bathroom, the likeable exterior had evaporated, revealing the dark person that people rarely saw. 

"Because you want me too." Adam’s voice was wrecked, throaty because of the tequila running through his veins. Coupled with the warm water, this made him lethargic, sleepy eyed and positively sensual. 

He looked up at Blake as he ran a teasing hand over his own chest, letting it trail slowly up to his lips. Adam stared into Blake’s eyes as he teased his fore finger into his mouth and sucked on it. 

"You tease me. All the fuckin’ time, god damn it. It makes me want to stop you from drinking." Blake murmured. He didn’t walk away though. He stayed glued to his spot near the bathtub, watching Adam spread his legs wantonly, showing Blake everything he had to offer. 

"Are you coming in?" Adam asked. His voice was uncharacteristically deep, but Blake knew it stemmed from the three empty glasses on the tub’s edge. He caught a glimpse of the skin between Adam’s legs as he sloshed around in the water. Fuck. 

"I’d rather you come out here."

Adam pouted, but the look was spoiled by the small, knowing smirk on his face. “I knew you’d want this. You always come back for more. Does it bother her?”

Blake controlled his instinctive urge to lash out, to tell Adam to shut his damn mouth about Miranda. Adam was searching his features hungrily for any give away.

"That’s not the deal. We don’t talk about her. You know that."

Adam’s zeal is extinguished in that moment, replaced with a sudden casual air. “That’s fine,” he preens in the water. “You always come back to me anyway.”

Blake doesn’t contradict him. 

Adam rises from the water, his movement slow and sensual. Blake feels like he’s been slapped across the face- it kills him that Adam knows how to use his body so well. The idea that a man could be so provocative, so enticing, had been foreign to Blake before they’d met. Oh, how his world had changed. 

He stood still as Adam toed out of the tub and up into his space carelessly. That he didn’t give two fucks about the mess he was making couldn’t have been clearer.

"Kiss me." He demands. His voice is almost angry until Blake acquiesces and connects their mouths chastely. Adam is quick and lithe; he wraps his fingers around Blakes neck, pulling him in close for a filthy fight of teeth, tongue and stubble. Blake doesn’t mind how the front of his shirt and pants have become soaked with bath water. 

Instead, he’s grateful. Adam is clean, his skin damp and flushed. He wraps his fingers loosely around one of the shorter mans wrists, pulling his arm up so he can kiss his way from knuckle to collar bone.

Adam is gasping. “God, Blake. Fuck. You’re always such a fucking tease.” 

He jerks his hand roughly out of Blake’s grip, anxious for control. He shoves Blake rudely. “Go. Come on, hurry UP.”

Blake allows Adam to pull him and prod him over to the bed- watching with fascination Adam’s utter lack of shame as he flounces around Blake without a trace of clothing. He seems to revel in it.

Adam lays back against the sheets. “Come on, Blake.” He says darkly, his eyes feral. “Come and fuck me. Fuck me the way your wife won’t let you.”

The words are cruel, and Blake’s hand twitches with the urge to slap Adam. It would only get him off though. Instead, he climbs onto the bed over Adam, seizing his by the roots of his hair roughly.

"You’ll stay quiet." He growls. "You’ll take what I give you and you’ll be grateful."

Adam nods wordlessly, but the illusion of obedience is shattered by his eager stare… He’s already spreading for Blake. 

The country singer kisses him, deep and dirty, and Adam wraps a leg around Blake like a freakin’ boa constrictor. They get lost in it for a while, Adam’s nails scraping over Blake’s skin almost as if he wants it to hurt. Blake likes it in some twisted way. He doesn’t like to think about it too long.

He starts to tugs off his clothes, his face hot and his hands shaking as Adam hisses into his ear, his breathe warm as he helps Blake tug open buttons and fastenings with long eager fingers.   
"You’re gonna wreck me, aren’t you? God, Blake, does anyone know you’re a fucking animal? Or is it only me?"

Adam’s tone is saccharine. “Come on, Blake. I want your cock.” He throws his head back. “I want it NOW.”

Blake shoves Adam brutally, hard enough for the smaller man to bounce on the mattress slightly. Adam keens, pleased, and opens his legs so his rosy pink pucker is visible- willing and waiting for Blake. 

The older man handles himself roughly, stroking his cock to hardness, twisting the head of his dick until he’s aching. Why the pain gets him off he’ll never know- he’s just thankful in a weird way that he’s found someone just as fucked up as he is.

He doesn’t prep Adam, only spits into his palm and fingers that sweet hole roughly before guiding himself in. Adam clenches helplessly, almost screaming, but biting Blake’s neck instead as he’s fucked brutally.

This isn’t lovemaking- its two people taking what they need from one another. Blake needs the release. Adam needs the pain.

The room is filled with the sounds of their fucking, Adam’s skin is still damp, the wet smell of fresh, expensive soap surrounds them along with the heady musk of sex and clean sweat. 

"Ah, ah, AH- Fuck, Blake, yeah!!" Adam is moaning, scratching, biting any skin he can clamp down on with his sharp, primal teeth.  
Blake snarls and shoves harder into Adam’s tight heat.

It feels so good… Christ, it feels so right. He has Adam right now. The wild, beautiful, unpredictable man was his, he owned him at this moment- Blake was staking his claim with his cock and it was perfect.

He bit Adam’s lower lip, savoring the tears falling from the dark, firey eyes underneath him before coming inside of Adam. 

He moaned through it, Adam’s hand hot hand clamped against the back of his neck once more. “G-goddamn…”

"Mmhmmm," Adam hummed, licking a stripe filthily up Blake’s neck.

The heat is cooling, their mingled body fluids chilled enough to make Adam shiver slightly. He clenches down on Blake’s length still sheathed inside of him. 

"…would you ever even think of leaving her for me?" His voice is small. Vulnerable.

Blake swallows around the lump in his throat, slowly pulling out of Adam as he lays a kiss on the corner of the smaller man’s mouth. He doesn’t answer.


	20. Shaken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation of the "Argument" piece of the Shevine challenge I did, some folks wanted a little more. I reposted the first bit in it too so no one has to go hunting for it. Happy Friday!

Blake knows he doesn’t do it on purpose, but it drives him absolutely mad. “I’ve asked you, what? A thousand times to cut it out?”

After crawling sleepily out of their bed this morning, Blake had been walking with his eyes half closed to the kitchen for some much needed coffee when he’d almost killed himself tripping on Adam’s stupid yoga mat. “You leave it out EVERY morning! Why is it so hard to just roll it up? It’s not. It’s the easiest thing in the world.”

Adam is staring in annoyance. “You pulled me out of the shower early for this? Rude, much?” 

The singer had only a towel around his waist that he held with a white knuckled grip, the steam from the hot water flowing out the bathroom door into their bedroom. 

Blake scoffs. “Nice. I can see there’s going to be no apology here, even though I trip on that damn thing all the time…”

Adam’s expression doesn’t change; he looks too angry to really be sorry so Blake starts to feel petulant. “And you should probably figure out something better to say when a person is trying to have a real conversation with you. Talking like a teenage girl every time we fight doesn’t actually help your case.”

Blake knows it’s a little mean to say, but Adam only laughs, albeit in a caustic and hostile way. “Nice, Blake.” 

He walks angrily up to him, invading his personal space, and his eyes narrow. Blake can tell he’s really pissed off now. “You want me to sound more ‘grown up’, huh? You think I’m stupid, don’t you?”

Blake’s eyebrows fly up in surprise as he stares down at his lover’s furious expression. What the hell? “No, Adam, that’s not what I was saying. I just want you to fucking pick up your mat after your workout, that’s-“

“Only with the stupid singer for his ‘pretty face’, Blake?” Adam’s mocking tone is scathing. 

“Stop! Stop puttin’ words in my mouth Adam! You’re so off base it’s not even funny,“ Blake spits in a frustrated tone. He waves his hands in aggravation and several things happen at once. 

Adam’s eyes go very very wide for a second, and he lets out a tiny strangled gasp. Then he’s squeezing them shut as he steps quickly backwards. Blake watches in shock as his boyfriend’s shoulders hunch a bit as he turns his body away slightly. 

Blake’s heart starts beating quickly. “Adam…”

The sound of his name pulls the singers attention. He straightens, his expression tight with panic as he seems to realize what’s just happened. 

“Adam, what...” Blake knows what this is, but how is that possible? How could Adam of all people have been…

“I would never hit you, baby.” Blake says quietly. All of his anger has evaporated. 

Adam looks horror struck and steps forward again. “No, I know Blake, I’m so sorry.” His voice breaks on the apology. “I…it was just a reaction, that’s all.”

Blake’s expression becomes shadowed and his mind starts to race with a litany of questions, the main one wondering who had done this to Adam. He places a tentative, steadying hand against Adam’s neck and is relieved when he leans into the touch. “One trained into you no doubt.”

Adam says nothing. 

“Do we need to talk about this?” Blake asks. 

Adam bites his lip. “No. Not now at least… It’s something that I’d rather not remember.”

Heartbreak and concern fuel Blake’s next words, and he can’t deny that he’s desperately curious. “Okay. But if it- I mean, if you… ever want to tell me anything you don’t have to think twice on it.”’

Adam nods, crowding closer. “I know.”

Blake holds him close for a moment, suddenly thankful for being able to do so.  
…

Now that he knows what to look for, Blake sees signs of Adam’s past when he’s watching carefully enough. Adam startles easily. He doesn’t flinch when people approach him, but he does freeze his movements for a fraction of a second. This stillness is especially noticeable now because normally Adam doesn’t stop moving, never slows down until Blake has him at home and in bed, like right now.

They’re lying under the covers next to one another when Adam starts whining. 

“Blaaakkeeeee.” He says, flailing around and letting one of his icy feet rub against Blake’s thigh. This garners a yelp from the Southerner. “What, you freakin’ icicle?! What now?”

Adam laughs, his hair mussing against his pillow. “Lets go get some ice cream.” Adam moves, crawling on top of Blake underneath the covers. Blake’s hands automatically settle around Adam’s waist and he squeezes slightly. Adam grumbles about being ticklish and pulls at Blake’s fingers, but he keeps nagging. “I haven’t had carbs or sugar in like five million years. I need something. Let’s go.” He peppers each sentence with a minute shove against Blake’s chest, making his laughter extra wheezy. It makes Adam want to kiss his mouth off. 

“Alright, God! Just stop squishing me!” He shoves Adam off and they both throw on some pants. They decided to take Adam’s vintage convertible and they enjoy the cool night air breezing through the hills. 

Adam passes the frozen yogurt shop they typically hit when one of them gets a craving. “Uhh. Where are you going?” Blake asks, turning around in his seat to watch the shop grow smaller as they drive down the avenue. 

“Grocery store.” Adam says, flipping on the indicator and swerving into the Whole Foods parking lot. Blake shakes his head, smirking. “You’re gonna do the thing, aren’t you?”

Adam only grins before punching Blake in the shoulder and scrambling out of the car. “Come on!”

Blake holds their basket and watches with fond exasperation as Adam collects all of his favorite junk foods and piles them in their container. They purposefully keep a mostly healthy kitchen, but sometimes Adam decides to stock up on crap and eat it all in one go. 

Inevitably Blake always spends the next morning listening to Adam bitch and moan about feeling awful and how they’re never going to do that again. And yet here they are, Blake’s eyebrows raising in skepticism as Adam throws a pack of Reese’s in their bag. 

“I thought you didn’t eat peanut butter.” Blake says. “I thought you only ate organic sunflower seed butter and coconut water and the freakin’ grass off our lawn.”

Adam looks thoroughly unimpressed. “Better than beef jerky and barbeque.”

With a shove, he directs Blake to the check out. He’s babbling as they wait in line, and Blake listens affectionately, just happy to hear Adam’s voice even if he’s literally talking about nothing. Suddenly though, Adam falls silent.

“I’m sorry,” Blake grins sheepishly, “I was payin’ attention I promise. You were talking about…?”

Blake’s smile vanishes from his face when he looks down at his boyfriend. Adam is ashen faced and frozen next to him, his gaze fixed somewhere across the store. 

“Adam? What’s wrong?”

Blake turns, searching for what he’s staring at, but Adam latches onto Blake’s wrist with an iron grip. “Don’t.” He says in a numb kind of monotone. “Don’t turn, just… come on, let’s go.” 

Suddenly he’s tugging at Blake hand, pulling him out of the line. “What? Don’t you want all your stuff?”

Adam shakes his head, annoyance and frustration shadowing his features. “No, no, what? No, I’m not hungry anymore.” He looks up into Blake’s eyes and the country singer is floored because there’s panic there, he can see it. He finally budges, setting down their basket and letting Adam lead him out of the store by his arm. 

“Are you going to explain to me what just happened?” Blake asks as he buckles himself in. Adam ignores him and rips out of the parking lot like a mad man. 

Angry curses and loud honking follows their reckless exit and Blake lets out a yell of alarm, clinging to the handle of the passenger door. “What the hell, Adam?” He cries. “What’s the matter with you??”

Adam bites his lip, shaking his head. 

“Adam!”

The younger man winces. “Jake was there. In the store.”

Blake stares, confused. “Jake…?”

“My ex boyfriend.” 

There is silence as Blake processes. Then he’s seeing red. “Turn the car around,” Blake snarls. 

“Blake, no-“

“Turn around so I can beat the shit out of that motherfucker!” Blake is furious with how helpless he feels. “Let’s see how the prick feels when he gets a taste of his own medicine!” He looks over at Adam and pauses as he takes in his stricken features. He tries to breathe deeply to calm himself down. 

Blake starts focusing, trying to remember every face he saw in the store. Who could it have been? Which one had total douchebaggery and evilness hidden behind a calm façade?

“This is why I made us leave.” Adam says in a quiet, rueful tone. He doesn’t sound anything like himself. “Just about the last thing in the world that I would want is you fighting that moron over me. It’s not worth it.”

Blake stares over at Adam and Christ, he’s feeling whiplash from his emotions. A second ago he was ready to start a brawl and now all he wants is to pull Adam into his arms, curl around him protectively, assure him there’s no one on this Earth more worth loving than him. 

“It’d be worth it to me.” Blake says, his voice thick with emotion. 

Adam bites his lip as he glances over. His smile is sad. “Thanks, babe.”

…

The first time it had come up, they’d been able to recover pretty effectively. After the grocery store incident though, the fact that Adam had had an abusive ex boyfriend (who still lived in LA, no less!) was like an elephant in the room.

Blake tries to bring it up several times, but it’s no good. Adam shuts him down, becoming silent or ignoring him until he changes the subject, sometimes trying to distract Blake with food or sex.

“Stop!” Blake says firmly one day, when Adam’s wrapped himself around Blake enticingly. Any other time Blake would be so so into it, but the fact that their conversation had consisted of Blake’s questions about Jake made it too weird. “I think we need to talk about this now. Right now.”

With a huff Adam pulls away, his seductive act dropping like a hot potato. “Why?” He crosses his arms over his chest. “You were perfectly fine leaving it alone before. You said I could bring it up if I wanted to!”

Blake shakes his head. “That was before I knew he lived around here. Adam… is he dangerous? I mean, obviously he is, but what if he’s hangin’ around here because you’re in the area? Have you thought about that?”

Blake felt terrible, as if he was fear mongering, but Adam’s safety was all that he could think about lately. His lover shifts uncomfortably before shrugging. “We have good security. That’s what we pay so much for every month. There’s no way he’d be able to find where we live.”

Blake’s eyes widen. “That’s your angle? Not that he’d never go that far… but that we have good security. Are you saying if he caught you on the street he’d go after you?”

“That’s what the bodyguards are for, though. That and crazy people.”

Blake shakes his head. “Adam. You should get a restraining order or something.” Adam’s glaring at him now, but Blake can’t understand his anger for the life of him. 

“Why would I go through all that trouble? Especially since I haven’t had a conflict with him in ages? I’m with you now, Blake! And we have security and protection and an amazing, wonderful, unbelievable life!” Adam jabs a finger against Blake’s chest.   
“Jake is nobody! He’s a piece of my past that can’t touch me anymore! I won’t let him! And I don’t need you dragging him up from all my phase of acting like an idiot!”

Blake lurches forward, a hand grasping Adam’s shoulder. “Okay. Okay, I’m sorry.” His voice is deep and soothing, a crooning rumble that seeps into Adam’s bones and leeches the tension from the room. 

“I’m sorry too.” He admits, his voice muffled against Blake’s shirt. “This just makes me crazy. It makes me feel like I did back then, and I was never more miserable than when I was that weak, stupid person.”

Blake tightens his grip. “You weren’t weak. And you’ve never been stupid. Just so we’re clear.” He leans down, laying a chaste kiss on Adam’s forehead. 

Adam clings to him, not saying anything. 

…

Because Blake’s a moron he takes a shot in the dark the next time they have everyone at their house. The place is packed with friends old and new, and the booze is flowing and the music seriously vibing. 

It’s a great time, but Blake can’t help but think this is his chance. He’s sitting next to Jesse outside by the pool and he blurts the words before he can regret it. “So…what do you know about Jake?”

Jesse pauses, looking at Blake in surprise. “Wow. I can’t believe he told you.”

Blake’s heart starts hammering in his chest, because finally he might be able to get some answers. This is the first time he’s mentioned the name and not gotten stony silence. “Yeah,” He says. “Anyway, I was just wondering if you could tell me, you know, about that time…”

He scratches a hand through his curls, messing them up as he waits for Jesse to stop pulling from his drink. The musician shakes his head sadly. “It was a really bad year. We were all happy for Adam, ya know? He was kind of exploring a bit, getting his bearings with the whole thing.” The whole gay thing, Blake knows is what he’s referring to. 

He looks up as he speaks, watching Adam who’s laughing with Matt over by the DJ. “The label made him keep it quiet, and Adam was happy to, you know, for the band’s sake. We though Jake was a good dude. He was successful, doting. He always treated us when we were back from gigs.”

“A few months in, Adam started acting really funny. He was way more flighty, started wearing long shirts and jackets and scarves. We thought he was getting into fashion or something. Then, his songwriting started turning dark… like really dark, with tracks about poisonous, agonizing love, how love was borne of pain, and that along with his sudden, extreme avoidance of the fans- well, we knew something was up.”

Blake’s heart constricts in his chest when Jesse’s voice hardens. “Then Adam started turning up with bruises. And not like, the subtle ones either. Apparently the shift was extreme. He beat the shit out of Adam, and there were some nights that he couldn’t move from his stool behind the microphone on stage. I remember me and Mickey just piling ice packs on him after encores, pleading with him to leave the fucker. He wouldn’t budge, insisted they were all accidents until, like, eight months in.”

Blake was hanging on his every word. “What happened at eight months?”

Jesse looked squeamish, his eyes glazed over at the memory. “He almost killed Adam.”

Blake’s hand tightens into a death grip on his drink. “What.”

“Yeah.” Jesse nods. “We had to take him to a hospital. I’ll never forget it. The doctors said there was internal bleeding, and Adam finally broke down about everything when Jake didn’t show up after three days of not being able to leave his hospital bed. He was lying there, broken, and all he could take about was getting home to Jake, apologizing to Jake. He didn’t even call Adam until a week later to check and see if he was alive.”

The anger in his voice is so heavy that Blake shoots a furtive look over his shoulder to make sure no one’s around to hear them. The country singer feels sick. “…but he did call? After a week?”

Jesse barks out a mirthless laugh. “Oh yeah. He called alright.” He kicks back the last of his liquor. ”He got pissed that Adam wasn’t around. He started stalking him, hanging around his apartment and all of our places. He even went by Adams mom’s, that’s when we knew shit was getting real. 

“We had to change phone numbers, get security, the whole bit.” He looks up suddenly, studying Blake with great intensity. Whatever he’s looking for in Blake’s features, he seems to find it because abruptly he leans forward so he can talk more quietly. “We don’t tell anyone this… but you know how the band wrote one of our albums abroad? Made songs in Europe?”

Blake’s eyes widen, this information giving him a timeline. “You mean…?”

Jesse nods. “Yup.” A ghost of a smile appears then. “It was probably the best decision we made. We all got really close… and I think it helped Adam heal. It helped us all get back on track. He didn’t date any more men after that though-“ He quirks an eyebrow in Blake’s direction- “at least, until you.”

Blake doesn’t feel very festive after his conversation, but he does feel some kind of relief. His enemy had been some shadowy figure, a man he hadn’t been able to shape in his mind. Now at least he knew a bit about who had hurt Adam. He felt better equipped to deal now, should something ever come up in the future. 

He’d resolved to be honest though. He doesn’t want to let anything fester or hurt Adam’s trust in him, so when they’re in bed once the house is empty he settles a hand against Adam’s cheek, guiding his eyes upward. “I spoke to Jesse tonight.” He says softly. “He told me about Jake. About everything.”

Adam’s breath is shaky, but he doesn’t lose it. His fingers curl into the fabric of Blake’s sleep shirt. “Oh.”

“I hope you’re not mad at me. I just really needed to know what happened, and it’s been very clear that you haven’t been able to talk about it.” Blake’s tone is both questioning and explanatory, implying an apology if one is required. 

Adam scoots into Blake’s body heat. “Well, I guess you would’ve found out anyway. And now we can drop it for good. I feel like he’s all we’ve been talking about recently.”

Blake balks, bringing a hand to Adam’s hair. “That’s definitely an overstatement, but yeah, we don’t have to talk about it anymore.”

“M’gonna kick Jesse’s ass though. You know, just for being a sneak.” Adam mumbles petulantly. 

Blake chuckles. “Well to be fair I think he was kind of plastered…”

Adam only shakes his head the tiniest bit before leaning up and capturing Blake’s lips. “I’m lucky to have you.” He breathes. “I’m thankful every single day.”

Blake noses closer, inhaling Adam’s scent. “I’m the lucky one, Adam. I’ve never been more lucky in love.”


	21. Letting Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of Holding Back. The request was for Adam to like it when Blake hits him. I think this fits the bill.. Fair warning though, its kinda fucked up!

Blake tips the tumbler back and forth in his hand. It’s glinting in the low light of the bedroom, and the thick glass is heavy in his hands. The liquid amber of the Lagavulin is a perfect chocolate honeyed hue.

The country singer tightens his grip on it as he feels a shock of pleasure down his spine. 

Adam is whimpering, low and urgent from where he’s kneeling in front of Blake, but he ignores him.

Instead he closes his eyes, tips the last of the scotch past his lips and throws the glass carelessly to the side. He doesn’t hear the heavy thunk it makes against the carpet. Instead he’s reliving everything Adam had thrown at him today.

“…I can’t quit you.”

“You’re such an idiot…”

“You complete me.”

Adam had been out of control, and by the end of the day Blake had been truly exhausted over the whiplash from bullying to teasing to flirting.

Adam had been playing with him, testing his limits, pushing Blake’s boundaries. The smaller man could be amusing when he wanted to be, and Blake’s eyes had followed him around set as he’d charmed the audience and put on a show for the cameras. 

Christina and Pharrell had been a bit perplexed about the truly manic behavior from Adam they were seeing, but Blake had known right away what it really was. 

It was payback for last night. 

When he’d fucked Adam yesterday the rock star had let himself slip. Underneath the harsh, caustic exterior fueled by a lot of liquor he’d been vulnerable, and he’d made a mistake in asking Blake a question and expecting an honest answer. 

“…Would you ever even think of leaving her for me?”

The query had gone too far. It had crossed a line. 

Adam had broken the rules of their deal. 

He’d done it multiple times that night, when Blake had told him time and again not to. But Blake had been generous. He’d kissed Adam instead of shoving his face against the mattress like he ought to have done. Then he’d left, leaving Adam shivery and alone in his bed with nothing but his self-loathing for company. 

This is the reason Adam had been testing his patience all day, but Blake had reigned in his frustration. He’d played along because he’d known that Adam would call him later that night, begging for him to come over. This, Blake reminded himself, is when he’d be able to punish Adam properly for acting out.

Sure enough, Adam was pleading with him over the phone by sun down, desperate to see him even though they’d spent the whole day in each other’s company. When Adam opened his door, he was already slightly unsteady. His hazel eyes were glazed and shining in the last of the suns light, and a bottle of Patron was dangling in his fingers, half empty. He said nothing, but took a quick breath in when Blake crowded him back into the foyer and slammed the door behind them hard. 

The sound made Adam flinch, but Blake ignored it. He seized the collar of Adam’s shirt roughly, yanking it hard enough to make the buttons strain. “You’re a greedy little thing these days.” He says, letting his anger bleed into the words. He’d kept his temper all day. Now that they were alone, he could let it all go.

Adam only stares up at him, the flush of alcohol infused blood high on his sharp cheekbones. Blake shakes him like a ragdoll, savoring how Adam’s little size lets him take power easily. He might not be able to stop himself from being hopelessly addicted to this lithe body even though he’s married and it’s the last thing he should want, but he at least can take him whenever he damn well feels like it. 

“Blake-“ Adam says, but he’s choked off when Blake yanks him forward, making him stumble and reach out for Blake’s chest so he won’t fall over. 

“Go get me a drink. A strong one.” Blake says, his voice hard. He ignores the flip-flopping sensation in his stomach as Adam stares up at him warily before complying. 

When the singer had returned, glass in hand, Blake had ordered him to the bedroom. 

“Get rid of those clothes.” He had instructed from behind his glass. Adam had hovered anxiously in front of the bed, unsure of himself. It was clear things weren’t going as he’d planned- usually Blake was quiet, letting Adam’s jealousy and meanness rule their trysts, letting him demand everything of him in their moments alone because they were so few and far in between. 

But now, enough was enough. If Adam wanted more of him, well… he was going to get more. It just wasn’t going to be the part of Blake that he wanted.

He’d watched as Adam shucked his clothes with shaky hands, his eyes never leaving Blake as the country singer slid off his own belt and unbuttoned his shirt. 

“Come here.”

Adam glared, but did as he was bid. 

“Get on your knees.”

“Blake, what…?”

“You want me to leave?” Blake had asked coldly. “’Cause I will walk out this door right now if you don’t do as I say.”

Adam bit his lip, his eyes lowering to the floor between then. He got on one knee, then the other. Blake had taken another sip of his scotch before roughly seizing Adam’s chin, forcing him to look up at him. “Go ahead,” He’d said. “You know what to do.”

The blush on Adam’s face had deepened, but he’d fumbled with Blake’s boxers, and taken Blake’s cock in one warm hand. He breathed against it, closing his eyes and nuzzling Blake’s thigh before he began to pepper kisses along the length of it.

Blake sighed, standing still as Adam worked up to taking all of him. Once Adam’s mouth was full and he was slurping messily around his girth, he’d seized Adam’s long brown locks. 

“Stop moving.”

Blake felt a twist of pleasure as Adam stilled. He could practically see the confusion in his lover’s body language. 

“You’re gonna stay there. You’re gonna be good and not move a goddamn muscle until I say so.” Blake challenged. “If you mess this up, I’m gone. For good.”

Blake wasn’t stupid. He knew that it basically amounted to emotional blackmail, but he hadn’t cared. The older man had stood there for a good long while, sipping on his drink and savoring the heat around his cock that Adam provided- all the while ignoring the small sounds of struggle from below, the whimpers of pain from Adam being on his knees for too long.

“You’re beautiful this way,” He relished his power over Adam as he’d finished his drink. “This is where you’re best… on the floor, obedient, with a mouth full of cock. I oughta keep you this way forever.”

His fingers press into Adam’s scalp, and he can feel him shudder, blinking rapidly for a second before he’s glaring up at Blake again. “And you’d let me wouldn’t you? You’re enough of a slut for me, you’d stay like this all day if I told you to.”

Adam’s competitive in everything, even in this, and he’s refusing to show weakness so he doesn't move and keeps his throat relaxed as he breathes carefully. Blake’s fingers rub down the back of his neck, resting for a moment. Then he pushes Adam forward, forcing him to take all of Blake down his throat. He groans in pleasure as he hears the gasps, Adam struggling against his hand as he chokes on Blake’s cock. 

“You push me like you did today…” He murmurs as he finally releases him and Adam falls backward, coughing harshly as he braces one hand on the ground and holds his throat with the other, “I’ll push you right back.”

“Y-you-“ Adam coughs. “God… you’re such an asshole.”

Blake’s smile twists onto his face almost against his will. “And yet you keep callin’ me here anyway. What’s that say about you Adam?”

The younger man’s features flicker with vulnerability, with shame, before he recovers. “I just wanted YOU, Blake. I want you, I can be better than her, you know I can-“

“Shut up!” Blake is snarling then, stooping to grab at Adam’s shoulder and push him all the way to the floor. “Christ, you never learn do you? You keep sayin’ that, but THIS is what I have to give you! I’m not your knight in shining armor, I’m not your dream boyfriend.” Blake crushes a hand against Adam’s windpipe, pinning him to the carpet.

Adam is whimpering, staring up at Blake as he cradles his arms to his chest, subconsciously trying to make himself smaller beneath the older man. And yet… his eyes are still filled with that hunger. He’s staring up at this dark, horrible part of Blake and his face still shows nothing but desire. 

“If this is all you have to give me… If this is all I’m good for…” Adam chokes out, his voice strained under Blake’s punishing grip. “Then I’ll take it.”

There’s a beat of stillness. Adam’s words rattle around in Blake’s brain, setting off about a billion red flags. If he were a better person, he would care.

Instead he backhands Adam. The smaller man yelps, twisting on the floor as his hands fly to his jaw. Blake stares at him intently, studying Adam as he uses a trembling hand to cover his quickly reddening cheek. There’s blood on his lip, and through the tears that have sprung to his eyes he stares up at Blake and cants his hips upwards. He spreads for Blake, licks the blood from his lips, and moans.

Blake growls at the sight, something depraved and primal stirring within him. He throws off his remaining clothes, seizes Adam by one ankle and yanks him hard. 

“Oof-!” Adam breathes out when Blake pushes him hard enough to where he bounces against the carpet. “Blake!”

Blake claims Adam’s mouth, swallowing his moans and exploring the man’s new taste, tainted with blood. It’s a little fucked, but it doesn’t stop him from kissing Adam deeply and trying to steal the breath from his lungs. 

As their mouths slide together with that molten friction, Blake pushes into him without any prep. 

It’s too soon, he knows it must hurt terribly, but all he feels is vindication when Adam wraps around him like a boa constrictor and just takes it. 

He's thrown again when Adam lets out a low wail. "Yesss, god, yes- fuck, BLAKE!!"

Adam’s shaking, but his nails sink deep into Blake’s back. 

“Agh…” He’s gasping, his face turned sideways by Blake’s tight grip in his hair. The Southerner shoves his hips sharply forward, earning himself a scream as he relishes the tightness surrounding his cock. 

He can’t help himself- he has to stare at this man who’s captivated him against his will. He feels a sharp pull of arousal as Adam starts crying, actually crying- with tears falling fast and clinging to his long lashes. Blake leans down, breathing against the side of Adam’s face before licking up the tears from his skin. The salt is still on his tongue when he aims lower and bites down on Adam’s jugular hard.

“Ahh!!” Adam screams, and Blake picks up the pace. He clings to Blake, hips moving to meet Blake’s thrusts as he contracts his muscles tightly. He doesn’t ever want to let Blake go.

Blake lets one hand scoop around the small of Adam’s back in order to bring Adam’s tummy flush against his own as he pounds into him, and then lets his other hand pull painfully hard in Adam’s hair. 

Adam shudders at the sensation, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as Blake’s mouth travels and starts biting and sucking right by his ear. The hot suction gets him keening, and he feels his legs opening wider automatically, inviting more of Blake’s punishing thrusts. He wants the pain, he wants the pleasure. He wants it all.

“A- All…. All for you.” Adam whispers against Blake’s cheek as he’s ravaged. His words stutter and shake out of him because of the rough treatment he’s enduring. 

”All for you. Only for you.”

The promise is like poison to Blake, and suddenly he can’t cover Adam’s mouth fast enough. He clamps a hand over Adam’s lips with a snarl and reaches down to take Adam’s leaking length in hand as his pace becomes erratic. He can feel Adam moaning beneath his fingers and presses brutally hard to muffle his scream as he comes. He can feel the younger man tighten around him, and Blake pushes deep with a shout as he fills Adam up. 

They’re still and silent, muscles shaking and bodies cooling as they regain their breath. Even now, Blake is reluctant to let his hand fall away. Adam’s eyes are glowing up at him in the darkness, waiting patiently to be released.

Blake pulls out none too gently, and Adam’s gasping cringe at the harsh movement is the last punishment of the night. Blake is turning away, already searching for his jeans as Adam clenches his shaking thighs together, one hand low between his legs and pressing against his abused entrance. 

“I… I don’t think I can stand.” Adam says hoarsely. His head is bowed. 

Blake ignores him, lets him sit there until he’s pulled on his shirt. He marvels at how Adam seems to be waiting for permission. Maybe, finally, he's tamed Adam.

The older man sighs, then leans down and scoops Adam up bridle style. The country singer has the decency to feel a little bit of alarm when Adam cries out as he’s jostled. 

“Are you really hurting?” He asks gruffly.

“N-no.” Adam bites out, hissing at the contact when Blake puts him on the floor of the shower and the icy tiles touch his heated skin. Blake turns on the water, aiming it at Adam. He admires the bruises already blooming over Adam’s skin as the water jets over his lean muscles, but he feels sort of detached when he takes in Adam’s sad stare. He’s tilted his head back so he can look at Blake, and the water splashes against his neck and down his chest in rivulets.

“I guess you’re not joining me?”

Blake shakes his head. He doesn’t feel better like he thought he would. He can’t think of anything to say.

“Get some rest, Adam.” Is what he comes up with. 

He averts his gaze from Adam’s expression of anguished longing, and when he’s out of the room with his keys in hand, he pretends not to hear the sobs that are echoing down the hall.


	22. Strike a Pose

Blake knows it’s a mistake to bet against Miranda, but she’s his best friend and knows his favorite brand of vodka and how to get him to make terrible decisions. 

They’re in the bar and she’s buying him shots with the sweetest, most innocent smile. “Alright Blake. Competition time.”

“Hell no.” Blake laughs, shaking his head. “Been down that road with you before, Lambert. You’re not tricking me again.”

Miranda quirked an eyebrow. “You chicken?”

“No!”

“Fine.” Miranda shrugged. “You lose by default, I guess.”

Blake falls for it. “Yeah, right. I can beat ya with my eyes closed. What’re the stakes this time?”

She smiles. “If you get three darts in the bulls eye, I’ll drive us down to Bludso’s for Barbeque Sunday AND I’ll pay.”

“Done.” Blake says eagerly. He can practically feel his stomach growling already. “And if I don’t?”

Blake watches his best friend’s eyes sparkle with mischief. “If you can’t get three in the center, then you have to come to yoga with me tomorrow.”

Oh.

Blake was already regretting this decision, but he put on a brave face. You just didn’t fool around when it came to Texas style brisket after all. “Three? Sister, I can get all five, just you wait n’ see.”

Blake swaggered up to the board and plucked the darts from the cork, but the effect was ruined when he fumbled one and it hit the wood floor with a clatter. Maybe he was a little more drunk than he’d thought…

“How many drinks did you buy me again?” He asks suspiciously as he toes the line of tape a few yards back. Miranda shrugs, clutching her bud light with one hand and hiding her smile behind the other. 

After he’s failed miserably and Miranda has instructed him to be ready by 8:00 tomorrow morning, Blake knows for sure he’s been tricked. 

…

He’s still a little foggy when Miranda picks him up from his place and they walk into the warmly lit studio bright and early.

Blake concentrates on copying everyone else in the class, laying out his matt and doing some preemptive stretching while they wait for everyone to arrive. “Dunno why you wanted me to come.” He grumbles, after Miranda’s done chatting with a few friends. “You obviously have plenty of people you know here.”

The two are distracted from the bickering they’re about to partake in when the last person enters the room.

“Good morning!”

Blake is glad he’s sitting on his matt at this point, because he’s certain he would’ve fallen over in surprise. The instructor was a man. A very handsome, very lithe and very muscled man.

“Welcome to Beginners and Intermediate level Vinyasa.” The guy smiles around at them all, as if it weren’t a stupidly early hour. “I see some new faces among us today, so hello. I’m Adam.”

Adam rolls out his own matt in front of everyone else and starts to limber up. 

It’s very distracting. 

“Of the new comers, how many of you are brand new to yoga?”

Blake glances around and is relieved to see that another hand in the back of the class is raised. Feeling safer, he puts his own hand up.

“Cool! Well, I’m very happy to be taking you through your first session. It’s going to be a blast! Let’s get started.” Adam’s gaze rests on Blake for a moment, and the taller man feels a strange flip-flopping in his stomach. 

Right away, Blake can tell Adam’s statement is not the truth. They’re not even five minutes in and Blake is struggling with the poses. He’s not used to moving this way and his body feels unnatural and he doesn’t know what half the things coming out of the instructor’s mouth even mean.

He is surprised when Adam leaves his matt and starts moving amongst everyone to check their form- he didn’t know that was a thing teachers did! His heart rate picks up when Adam heads his way.

Blake can feel his face becoming heated as Adam’s hands straighten his hips. It’s one of the simplest poses, downward dog, but apparently Blake was doing it wrong. The touch is nothing but professional, but Blake can see Miranda shaking with giggles in her downward dog right next to him. Christ.

“Damn, man. You gotta whole lot of leg on you.” Adam chuckles as he walks away towards the back of the studio, prompting Miranda to snort and buckle back down into child’s pose in order to recover her composure.

“I will hurt you.” Blake hisses at her, his arms trembling. He lets his head hang so he can watch Adam walk back and forth behind them, correcting others. 

The instructor’s volume increases when he says, “Alright everyone! We’re going to jump straight into the flow. Remember if you’re just starting out with your practice feel free to revert back to child’s pose if you need to rest for a second. I’ll be showing you modifications as we go, but I do encourage everyone to keep challenging themselves.”

Blake struggles to concentrate for the rest of the session. Adam guides the whole class through a repetitive flow, and as he struggles Blake prays for the minutes to fly by.

He hadn’t realized what a true workout yoga was. By the end of the hour Blake can tell his whole body will be sore tomorrow. Even though he was probably a train wreck, he can’t help but feel a little pride for having made it all the way through during his first try.

Adam dismisses them, and Blake is once again caught off guard when the instructor walks right up to him. He’s staring down at Adam, wondering what to say when Miranda jumps in. 

“Thanks, Adam! That was a really good one this week, I love when you focus on the core work.”

The instructor smiles. “I’m glad! You’re getting better every week, too! I’ve never seen your tree pose so steady.”

Miranda leans against Blake as she starts rolling up her matt, and Adam eyes them both. “So, is this the notorious best friend you were telling me about?”

Miranda laughs. “Yep. This is Blake. He almost didn’t make it this morning but I finally managed to drag him here.”

Blake rolls his eyes. “Apparently she’s been planning this. I didn’t know I was coming until last night.”

Adam chuckles. “Well, you were pretty good, especially for your first time. It’s nice to meet you. I’m always happy when dudes take my classes.” 

Adam smiles up at him, and Blake can’t help but think that this guy missed out on another life as a model. He’s wondering how it’s possible that the instructor isn’t a sweaty mess like the rest of them and is instead sporting a healthy glow.

“So will I be seeing you next week?”

Blake can barely stammer out a reply. “Uhh, yup. Sounds good.”

Wait- what?! What the hell had just come out of his mouth? He’d suffered through the whole hour, hated every minute of it!

“Awesome!” Adam’s quick pat on his forearm feels like fire, and apparently has removed Blake’s ability to speak. 

After a second he finally manages to open his mouth to correct himself, but the instructor has already moved on to chat with other clients. Blake watches him dazedly for a moment and is trying not to let his eyes wander down to those form-fitting yoga pants when he feels a pair of eyes on him. 

He looks down, and sure enough Miranda is beaming at him, looking sweaty, disheveled, but positively triumphant. 

“You!” Blake whisper-shouts at her as they grab their things and spill out onto the sidewalk. “You did this on purpose. I’ve been set up!”

“Oh calm down, you big drama queen.” Miranda hits his side with her rolled up yoga matt. “Be grateful you have a friend who’s looking out for you! Isn’t he perfect?”

Blake shakes his head, trying to avoid the topic. “I can’t believe I hang out with you. Really. I am so dumb.”

“Blake!” Miranda sighs. “You need to ask him out! I talk to him every week and he reminds me of you all the time. You’re both idiots. You’re both single. You need to date each other.”

“How do you even know he’s gay?” Blake asks weakly. 

“He told me.” Miranda confides, sounding proud of herself. “His last boyfriend cheated on him, isn’t that sad? He needs a proper Southern gentleman to show him how it’s done!”

“I knew it!” Blake yelps. “This is subterfuge!”

“Who cares? You’re coming back next week now, and that’s all the matters.”

“Oh yeah? Maybe I won’t.” Blake challenges, feeling petulant.

Miranda scoffs. “Yeah, right. An ass like his? You’ll be a regular just like me in no time.”  
…

Blake is ready to kill himself by the fourth week of yoga with Adam. He feels like he’s not progressing in the class like the others, and frankly he still hasn’t gotten past that shadow of insecurity about being a big, burly dude in a class full of willowy blondes. 

It’s not his fault, though. Honestly. He doesn’t have a fucking clue how all these women can focus when their teacher looks like a sex god. 

“And…. Warrior one now…”

Blake looks down to adjust his stance, but then forgets to keep his arms posed correctly as he stares at Adam’s flexed muscles. There’s a visible strip of skin from where the man’s tank top has ridden up.

“Blake…”

Blake jumps to attention, his eyes darting up to meet Adam’s. The teacher is smiling with fond exasperation. “Don’t forget about your arms. It’s half the work here.”

Blake nods, his face aflame.

Humiliation like this had become part of Blake’s weekly schedule. During every class, Blake tells himself he’s never coming back, that he’s quitting that day. But after each session, Adam manages to bring him round again. 

He may have wanted to kill her at first, but Blake has to admit that Miranda was right. He and Adam get along great. They chat easily after class, and sometimes they both linger for a good half hour after everyone else has gone. Today though, Blake’s decided to put his foot down. He’s quitting for real this time because he honestly has no clue how he’s been roped into this mess for a whole month. It needs to end because his heart can’t take it.

Blake struggles through the pain of the workout, aiming to savor his last hour of getting to see Adam up close and personal. When they’re dismissed he grabs his things quickly and heads for the door, not even bothering to wait for Miranda. He’s halfway down the block when he hears someone calling him.

“Blake, wait up!”

Blake’s eyebrows rise into his messy mop of curls when he sees Adam trotting up to him. “You were so quick to leave today! I turned around and you were gone!”

Blake shrugs, feeling awkward. “Oh. Sorry, man.”

Adam is just staring up at him, seeming to expect more. 

“Look, Adam,” Blake blurts. “I just don’t think yoga is for me. You’re a great teacher, honestly, but I’m horrible at this and it ain’t cheap-“

Blake’s words strangle in his throat when Adam steps forward into his personal space and puts a hand on his chest. 

“Well, actually that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Adam’s dark eyes are smoldering. “I was wondering if you’d be interested in private lessons? I do free lance work… I travel to client’s homes, it’s no problem. Are you interested?”

Adam leans up, and arousal shocks through Blake as he feels warm breath near his ear. “I’m very invested in you, Blake. I feel a lot of… potential here. Let me convince you.”

Blake finds himself nodding.

“Okay.” He says hoarsely. “I’m definitely interested.”

“Wonderful.” Adam smiles wickedly. “Have Miranda give you my number. I’ll be waiting for your call.”


	23. Tease Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: An established relationship and for some reason Adam withholds sex from Blake for a long time (probably because he's not getting his way with something?) and Blake does everything he can to seduce him and turn him on and get all touchy feely like he always does and while he manages to stir him up, Adam still doesn't budge. Then one day, one small thing (something hilariously unexpected and ironic?) just sets the spark for Adam and he ends up losing and giving in to sex.

Adam is glaring at him. It’s a quiet cold stare that’s very different from the playful expressions that he's often thrown. It’s serious, and the way Adam’s mouth has settled into a grim line sets off a red light. 

Yep, he’s definitely gone too far this time. 

“Adam,” Blake starts, his hands up in defense. “You know I was kidding.”

“Actually, no I don’t.” Adam bites out. He’s folded his arms tightly over his chest, and Blake swears under his breath. Adam only did that when he was genuinely pissed off. 

“I don’t know anything of the kind Blake. Sometimes when you say this shit… it’s not funny. It’s disrespectful. I don’t know what you expected. Did you think I would laugh?”

“Well, I didn’t expect you to bring it up in front of the audience and Carson and everybody under the sun. If you hadn’t then I wouldn’t have had to say what I did.”

Blake felt a small twinge of discomfort over what had happened. Adam had been pestering him on and off for weeks about recording a duet. A real one. The first time his boyfriend had come to him with the request, Blake had been blindsided but gentle when he turned down the idea. Even though they were a match made in heaven in their professional and personal lives, Blake harbored a gut feeling that any musical collaboration wouldn’t pan out the way Adam wanted. 

He’d seen his lover’s creative process: the art came before everything else for Adam, so he was certain that if they had creative differences over the song Adam wouldn’t back down and it would get real ugly real quick. He didn’t want to put himself or their relationship in that line of fire. 

Adam had been disappointed but not devastated when he’d said no, but Blake’s relief was short lived. Adam took to dropping not-so-subtle hints on a daily basis that Blake had found harder and harder to ignore. Finally, things blew up in the worst possible way: on the set of the show.

They were filming and flirting, which was usually fine but on the far side of eight straight hours with only two or three 15-minute breaks, something had to give. Apparently that something had been Blake’s good judgment. 

Blake had decided it would be hilarious if he drifted over to the opposite end of the stage and harassed Adam a little. He’d started messing with Adam’s things to annoy him which was always a sure fire way to get some giggles out of the onlookers. Adam ignored him until Blake accidentally dropped Adam’s bottle of water on the ground. 

“Oops,” Blake chuckled. “Sorry rock star. Didn’t mean to do that.”

“Blake!” Adam sighed, exasperated, “Why do you always try to break my stuff? Come on, man. I’ve been nothin’ but good to you.”

Blake grinned. “I’m sorry, Adam. Is there any way you can forgive me?”

“Maybe I will… if you record a duet with me. How about it?”

The crowd was positively gleeful, excited cheering welling like a wave as Blake tightened his grip on the water bottle he’d retrieved from the floor. Adam was bringing this up again here? Now? Was he being serious?

Blake couldn’t say yes in front of all these people. It would practically be a promise to follow through, and Blake honestly didn’t want to do it. The air in the studio was growing thick with anticipation for his answer; he could feel all the eyes on him. He blurted the first thing that came to mind. “With your squeaky voice? Buddy, pigs will fly before I voluntarily get into a recording studio with you.”

The crowd oohed and laughed simultaneously at the low blow, but Blake didn’t hear it. The second the words were out of his mouth he knew he’d fucked up bad. Shock had flickered over Adam’s features, the hurt apparent for just a moment before being smothered by a smarmy grin for the cameras. 

“We’ll see, Shelton. Never say never.” Adam had grinned, but after years of doing this Blake knew when he was seeing the real thing and this wasn’t it. Adam had been acting. 

Now that they were home the act was gone and replaced with Adam’s very cold and very real anger.

“I was trying to be funny. It was over the line. My bad.”

Adam stared at Blake, unimpressed. “Is that all you have to say?”

“What else do you want from me?”

“An actual apology would be nice.”

“I’m not apologizing for something we go back n’ forth with all the time. You’ve done the same to me before, it’s not my fault you couldn’t handle it.”

“You’re going to be sorry, Blake.”

Adam sounds so angry when he says this that it startles a laugh out of Blake. He raises an eyebrow. “That’s a little over dramatic don’t you think?”

“Not really. And if you think this is ‘overdramatic’ then babe…. you’re in for a world of hurt.”

“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do this time?” Blake scoffs. This is a bluff if he’s ever heard one. “Dump more shit on my truck? You’ve done that already.”

Adam stares at him, eyes on fire. “No. But you’re going to be sorry.”

The resolute delivery of this statement catches Blake out. He stares at his boyfriend, sizing him up. Maybe he isn’t bluffing after all. Adam walks away after that, dropping the conversation and going downstairs and outside into the backyard for a while. 

Blake tries to put it out of his mind. It wasn’t fair for Adam to whip out his diva act- Blake was in the right. Wasn’t he?

Blake spends the next few hours convincing himself of this fact, that yes, Adam was being unfair and oversensitive as he replays their argument in his mind.

When it’s time for dinner, Adam comes and gets him. 

“I got takeout delivered. Hope that’s cool.” Adam says. There’s not a single trace of rage or resentment anywhere on his person, and Blake is bewildered. Where’s all the anger that had kept Blake scared enough to stay upstairs all this time?

Blake observes him carefully as he follows Adam to the living room where cartons are spread out over the coffee table. 

As they eat their noodles in front of the TV, the Southerner decides to let Adam have control over what they watch as a sort of peace offering. He doesn’t regret the move even when Adam settles on the golf channel because he’s still feeling a little thrown by how quickly Adam calmed down. Blake starts to feel paranoid even though Adam looks completely at ease.

“Which guy is this again?” Blake asks, hoping to test the waters with an innocent question.

Adam concentrates on twirling his food around his chopsticks as he speaks. “It’s Rickie Fowler… He’s from Cali, I think that’s why I’m rooting for him. He might make the Masters this year.”

Blake hums in reply, trying to maintain his poker face. He’s really confused right now, but he’s not enough of an idiot to bring up their argument again, especially since he hasn't changed his mind. Relief breezes through Blake as Adam starts rambling about the golfer’s stats. He’s happy to listen and hopeful that this means all the duet nonsense is behind them.   
…

Enough time passes that he’s forgotten about their fight. It’s been a few days, and the two of them have been run ragged by production as they prepare for the live shows. Blake hasn’t seen Adam in forever it feels like, and he’s happy that they’re getting home relatively early tonight. 

The car service drops them off at home around 9:30, and the two of them are too tired to even think about dinner. But as they ready for bed, Blake’s desire overpowers his exhaustion. 

The shower’s already going, and through the steam filling the bathroom Blake can see his lover. 

Adam’s flung off his jeans and is pulling his shirt off over his head. The movement ruffles his hair and shows off the muscles in his shoulders and arms. Blake’s reaching out before he can stop himself. 

He’s circled a warm hand around Adam’s bicep, pulling the smaller man into his chest when Adam starts wriggling. At first Blake tightens his grip, smiling at how Adam always puts up a little fight before giving in, but then he’s confused. Adam pulls away with intent, yanking his body out of reach and glaring up at Blake. 

“Not in the mood.” Adam says in an even tone, which doesn’t make any sense at all. Adam almost always jumped at the opportunity to let off a little steam after slogging through a long workday. 

“Whaddya mean?” Blake asks.

“I mean,” Adam says firmly as he steps into the shower and yanks the glass door closed. “That until you get smart and realize you still owe me an apology I won’t be in the mood.”

Blake stands stock still, mouth agape as Adam turns his back on him and throws his head back under the hot water. "Are you for real right now?"

Because he’s a little jerk, Adam makes a show of running his hands through his now damp hair and then trailing them down his chest as he lathers up. Blake stares through the transparent door.

“Goddamnit, Adam!”

Adam blinks at him from under the water, his smile dark. “I told you you’d be sorry.”

…

Two can play at this game, Blake is certain. Adam isn’t made of stone after all, and the country singer is sure that if he pushes it just right, Adam will fold like a cheap deck of cards.

He starts innocently that weekend, with a big batch of scrambled eggs with pico de gallo and avocado sliced in generously. The smell is wafting up the stairs, and like clock work a sleepy, ruffled Adam stumbles down the steps followed by two wiggly dogs. 

“You made breakfast?” Adam says, delighted. He picks up one of the plates Blake had set out and hovers around the taller man as he finishes up the dish. They haven’t had sex in a while now, the longest they’ve gone in quite some time, so the proximity of Adam’s body to his own in this moment is its own kind of drug.

“Yeah. Thought it’d be good to start the day off right.”

“Good call.” Adam says absently as he eyes the food hungrily. 

“Here…” Blake says softly, choosing this as his moment. “Lemme serve you some.”

He plucks the dishware from Adam’s hands, but lets their skin brush together. Adam’s breath hitches when Blake sets the plate down and takes hold of one of Adam’s wrists gently.

“What are you doing?”

Blake ignores him, instead choosing to focus on the tender touch he’s offering. His fingers slide over Adam’s smooth skin, tracing the intricate inked lines of the tattoos that cover his boyfriend’s arms. 

“Have I ever told you how beautiful your body art is to me?” Blake asks, his voice hushed. He slides his hands up Adam’s arms until he’s plying his fingers against the large bloom tattoo at the start of his right shoulder. 

Adam shudders, his bright eyes darting up to Blake’s face. “No. You haven’t actually.”

“What a damn shame.” Blake hums. “Should’ve told you before now. They’re exquisite.”

He casually sweeps his hands down from Adam’s shoulders to circle his waist and bring him close.

Adam’s eyes are dilated. His breathing is heavy as he leans against Blake. The country singer tightens his hold on Adam’s hips, his fingers digging into flesh under the threadbare pajama pants on his lover’s frame. 

“Stop.” Adam groans. Blake bites his lip as Adam lets his head fall against his chest for a moment before he pulls away entirely. The air between them suddenly feels cold, but Adam’s expression is determined and defiant. 

“Are you going to record with me?” He asks expectantly.

Blake represses the urge to simply grab Adam and kiss him senseless. He clenches his hands at his sides. “No. I’m not going to, so this little celibacy act you’ve got goin’ on isn’t doing either of us any good.”

Adam gets mad. “Then stop being a tease, you big jerk!”

Blake’s seductive routine dissolves under the crush of his annoyance. “That’s rich, coming from you! Were you not flaunting your little self in the shower yesterday? What do you call that?”

“Payback.”

“Please, baby. I can see how hard this is for you too.” Because Blake is an asshole, he pitches his voice low, where he knows the timbre and crooning quality of his southern twang will hit Adam right in the chest. It works like a charm. 

Adam lists forward and shivers, as if unable to resist the pull of gravity from the center of his universe- which is what Blake is to him right now when he’s completely touch starved. Blake’s heart is beating quickly with hope when Adam reaches out a hand…

His anticipation is snatched away when Adam snaps his wrist back towards his chest as he remembers himself. “Well, it looks like we’re both going to suffer.”

“Adam!”

“It’s all on you, babe!” Adam calls over his shoulder as he retreats from the kitchen with his plate of eggs in hand. “You’re the one that can put an end to this!”

When Adam disappears back up the stairs, Blake punches the wall. The dogs skitter away and his knuckles sting and he doesn’t feel the least bit better.   
…

That Adam isn’t holding back or pulling away in any other area of their life is making it all the more torturous. Adam will still flirt shamelessly on set or talk his ear off at home, but the second Blake starts getting tactile he’ll pull away. 

He’s decided to take refuge in their bedroom while Adam does his yoga in the den. Scrolling through twitter and tweeting to fans gets him through most of the evening, even though the idea of what Adam is up to only a few rooms away keeps running through his mind. 

Thoughts of Adam bending and flexing as he contorts his body into beautiful, impossible shapes leaves Blake’s skin flushed and heated. He focuses on scrolling through the social media site and it kind of works until the bedroom door opens.

Blake’s eyes flicker up and stay trained on Adam when he breezes through their room. The singer must’ve thrown himself into his workout fully because his lithe muscles are glistening with sweat. Blake stares as he pulls off his workout clothes on his way to their bathroom suite and starts a shower for himself. 

“Christ.” Blake mumbles. 

“You say something babe?” Adam’s voice echoes out of the bathroom. Blake doesn’t bother responding. 

Blake settles against the headboard, eyes looking upward in a silent plea for patience as he hears Adam blithely whistling a tune as he cleans up. 

“What’s wrong, Blake?” Adam quips around a dimply grin as he emerges from the bathroom clutching a barely-there towel around his waist. Blake glares at him, suddenly resentful of the musician’s beauty. This was beginning to feel uncomfortably like the old days before they were together. Back when Blake had been allowed to look at Adam but never ever touch.

When Adam is done drying off, he bypasses their wardrobe entirely and hops into bed commando style.

“Are you kiddin’ me with this?” Blake groans. 

Adam glances over this shoulder as he pulls the top sheet over his hips and settles into the bedding. The linen drapes beautifully across his figure. Blake wants to throw something. 

“Easy, Blake.” Adam sighs, stretching luxuriously. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were embarrassed! You’ve never had a problem with me sleeping like this before.”

“You know it’s not embarrassment I’m suffering from you little shit.” Blake growls under his breath. He knows what Adam is trying to do. If he tries to reach out for his boyfriend, Adam will shut him down faster than anything. That would seriously tempt Blake into giving in, which is just not an option.

He turns over, scooting as far as he can to the opposite end of the bed. It’s going to be a long night.

He can’t sleep a wink, but Adam’s workout seems to have done its job because after a while Blake can hear his breathing even out. When he’s certain Adam has drifted off, he carefully turns over and stares at his lover. His limbs are splayed haphazardly but there is a grace to it somehow. 

Blake’s arousal dares him to reach out and touch. Maybe just one kiss…

“No.” Blake whispers aloud to himself. “Not cool.”

The country singer slides out of bed then, resigning himself to sleeping elsewhere for the night.   
…

Adam crawls into bed slowly the next night. Blake cracks one eye open just enough to watch- in a complete one eighty from the previous night’s events, Adam is wrapped up in PJ pants and a sweater over a large tee shirt. Blake feels a hungry pull of longing as he spots the too long hem of the shirt under the sweater. Adam is wearing one of his shirts. 

He’s moving carefully, obviously under the impression that Blake is asleep. He curls up on his side with his back to Blake and only pulls the top sheet over his body. Blake is sure that he’ll be sweating under all those layers in under an hour. 

Blake is patient, and sure enough after about 30 minutes Adam is tugging off his sweater under which he is wrapped up in Blake’s big shirt. The way the fabric collects at Adam’s waist as the smaller man settles down again has Blake moving before he can even second guess himself. 

When he reaches out and lets his palm settle on the exposed skin of Adam’s shoulder, the younger man startles slightly. 

“Blake…” Adam murmurs sleepily. “I didn’t know you were awake.”

Blake doesn’t reply. He’s learned by now that talking will not distract Adam in the way he wants… his boyfriend is too smart for that. Blake lets his hand glide down Adam’s back, tracing his spine down low. He scoots closer to Adam, propping himself up on one elbow as he runs his hand over Adam’s waist and over so his fingers are spread against the skin of Adam’s stomach. 

Blake feels Adam’s muscles tense; he hears a small but sharp intake of breath. Blake presses down, pulling Adam’s little body flush against his chest until they’re pressed against one another. When he lets his face fall into the crook of Adam’s neck, Adam moans. He inhales the smaller mans scent and cradles him close and Adam whines. 

There is fire in Blake’s veins and he just can’t help himself. The country singer ruts against Adam’s backside, forcing Adam to feel his desire. The rock star throws his head back against Blake, he’s arching into the contact, baring his throat for Blake. 

Blake’s lips are about to land a kiss against Adam’s neck when his lover wrenches away. Adam scrambles from the bed, limbs flailing in his haste to find the floor with his feet. 

Disappointment hits Blake in the chest like a bag of bricks. Fuck. 

“Baby… come on.”

Adam stares at Blake, his skin flushed underneath Blake’s huge shirt. “I’m sleeping in the guest room.”

Blake gapes at him. “Adam! Are you serious right now?”

Adam flees the bedroom, his steps unsteady. Blake stares at the empty doorway for some time, but Adam doesn’t come back. He seriously contemplates giving in. It wouldn’t be that horrible… going downstairs, apologizing to Adam, getting to fuck the little idiot’s brains out. 

Instead, Blake flops back into the sheets with a groan. 

He can’t give in. He can’t.   
…

The heavy throb in his veins hasn’t gone away in weeks. He’s used to it by now, but that certainly doesn’t mean he’s happy about it. 

They’re sitting on set at one of the café tables. The tension is thick between them as they sip their coffee silently, and at this point everyone has taken to avoiding them because it’s become obscenely obvious that something is going on. 

Even Carson had taken to steering clear of the pair, because more often than not Blake would do something stupid, something that shouldn’t be done in public, something like what he’s doing right now.

Blake’s fingers trail over Adam’s wrist, heated and hovering. Adam stills, and he can’t help how his eyes flutter closed. The touch is incredibly gentle, but it ignites the air between them. After so long without giving in to one another, every little bit of contact seems like the last straw.

“Adam…” Blake whispers. He rubs his fingers against Adam’s skin, right where the tattoos end on his wrist. “Enough is enough.”

Blake stares, his throat tight, as Adam staggers backwards out of his chair.

“I have to- uhh…“ 

He doesn’t even try to finish making his excuse before he flees, abandoning his coffee and his boyfriend. Blake let his head fall into his hands.   
…

Blake throws on one of Adam’s old baseball caps, anxious for some coverage because he’s out of hair product goddamnit, and he needs to not look like he’s been losing his fucking mind for two weeks now. 

He’s secluded himself in the study while Adam is downstairs in their music room. It seems that Adam has finally given in and started working on parts of the song he’d wanted them to do together. He’d be relieved if Adam wasn’t still avoiding him like the plague. 

It’s gotten so bad that he’s taken to avoiding looking at Adam when he can so he won’t see that resolve in his lover’s eyes and have to witness exactly how determined Adam is to punish him. He keeps his head low when he hears Adam enter the room with a sigh.

“Blake, where are the demo discs? I’ve been trying to… trying to…“

Blake looks up when Adam’s words strangle to an abrupt stop. He’s halfway through the door of the study, but his face is… flushed. His eyes are glazed and gazing steadfastly just above Blake’s eyes. 

“You’ve been trying to what?” Blake asks, eyes trailing over one of the revealing tank tops Adam’s taken to sporting these past few days to grate against the last of Blake’s control. 

Adam doesn’t answer. 

“Babe?”

“You never…” Adam says hoarsely, lurching forward. “You’re wearing my hat. You never put on my things-”

Blake hears a high whine before he’s crashing to the ground with two arms full of Adam. 

“Oof!” Blake emits a groan at the impact, staring bewilderedly up into Adam’s eyes. He’s too turned on by the dark hue there in pupils blown wide by lust to feel any sense of victory or triumph. All he feels is relief. 

“I can’t take it anymore- Oh GOD.” Adam’s hands are scrabbling along the front of Blake’s shirt, tearing at the buttons. “You’re wearing my clothes.”

Blake practically yelps when Adam gives a good hard yank and the buttons go flying off his shirt and bouncing across the carpet. The frontman leans down and bites at Blake’s lip with a rough kiss before tugging on Blake’s belt. 

“Whoa!” Blake cries. Adam jerks Blake’s jeans low enough to pull down his boxers, and it’s been so long, it’s happening so fast, and suddenly Adam is swallowing all of Blake deep down his throat.

“Ohh, fuck!”

He has never seen Adam like this. Blake stills in his awkward position, half clothed, but he lets out a guttural moan- the sudden overwhelming pleasure makes him not give a damn. Adam’s fingers are bruising on his thigh as he sucks around Blake’s length with abandon. The way he’s going for it almost makes him seem unhinged with want. 

“C’mere,” Blake reaches for the collar of Adam’s shirt, tugging gently. “I wanna kiss you. I need to kiss you right now.”

Adam crawls into his lap, connecting their lips as he cradles Blake’s head closer to him. The country singer can feel Adam whimpering into their kiss, the slick sliding of their mouths feeling like some long lost treasure that’s suddenly been found once more.

When Adam starts pulling away, Blake feels like he could scream. He honestly doesn’t know how he’s going to quell the urge to simply slam Adam down onto the carpet and take him when his lover growls at him.

“Blake, let me up. I need to get these fucking clothes off right this second, so help me jesus!” Adam scoots back clumsily on the carpet, tugging off his shoes and shucking his jeans from his lean legs like they’re on fire. His boxer briefs go flying, and Blake would laugh at the sight of Adam flinging them across their study if he wasn’t so desperate for contact.

Adam’s back in Blake’s lap in a hot second, peppering Blake’s chest with nips and bites under the fabric of the now open shirt. He grabs one of Blake’s arms and shoves it down between their bodies. “Get to work, cowboy.” He grunts.

Blake almost can’t believe what he’s seeing after their unending litany of teasing moments. He obeys though, and brings his shaking fingers to Adam’s entrance. Adam jerks forward with a shout when Blake traces his rim, steadying himself against Blake’s shoulders as he struggles to hold himself up. “Come on come on,” Adam moans, clenching his hole as Blake presses into him there. “Hurry the fuck up!”

“Impatient.” Blake admonishes, but he delves in more quickly, working Adam open and savoring how the rock star shifts his hips to take more of Blake’s fingers inside of him.

Blake watches Adam, enjoying the show until the smaller man is pushing his hand away. “Do it.” He demands breathlessly.

Blake takes himself in hand and rests his tip right against Adam’s hole. Their foreheads rest against one anothers as Adam slowly, painstakingly sinks down onto Blake’s cock. The pressure is delectable.

“I-I’ve missed you.” Adam croaks, eyes squeezed shut. Blake drinks in the image of Adam’s slack mouth and his slightly scrunched up nose at the small bit of pain he must be feeling after not having Blake inside of him in so long. He wants to remember this forever. 

Adam’s taking control, already grinding down so Blake will bottom out even though tears are pricking at the corners of his eyes. Blake wraps one arm around Adam’s back, bracing him. “You don’t have to rush honey… slow down a little.”

“Don’t you. Say. A goddamn word.” Adam pants as he bounces in Blake’s lap. His fingers scratch through Blake’s curls as he moans, before letting them clutch at the back of Blake’s neck. His manhandling of the Southerner fits well with his next assertion. “I’m running the show right now, so fucking shut up and enjoy it.”

Adam nuzzles his forehead against Blake’s shoulder, eyes closed, as he savors the feeling of Blake inside of him. His thighs burn from the exertion and Blake’s sudden grip on his hips is a little too tight but it feels so good. He’s been desperate for this for so long- their contact is a balm to him but also a little overwhelming. 

“I’ve missed you too.” Blake groans, shirking his concern in favor of shoving ruthlessly up into Adam’s heat. “I’m sorry darlin’. I’m so sorry.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Adam babbles, “It’s stupid, I’m sorry too- oohh!”

Blake flips them around so Adam is crushed under his weight against the floor. The smaller man throws his head back as Blake attacks his neck and grinds their hips together. Adam feels all the blood throbbing through his lower body like electric currents shocking through his system. 

“M’not gonna last… its been too long.” Adam whispers into the air by Blake’s ear. 

Blake latches onto his collarbone, lathing and sucking the skin there as if anxious to leave as many marks on Adam’s skin as humanly possible. 

“Blake! You hearing me?” 

“Don’t care,” Blake growls as he grabs Adam’s hair by the roots and tugs hard. The pain is coupled with the pleasure in just the right way to send Adam shooting off like a rocket. 

“Ugh, God! Blake!” Adam clenches around Blake’s length, trying to keep all of him inside as he rides the wave of his orgasm. Blake is threading his fingers through Adam’s hair more softly then, guiding him into a kiss that scrambles the rest of Adam’s brain function into oblivion. 

Blake hasn’t come yet, Adam thinks hazily when he descends from his high and savors the relief of his afterglow. Even after their moratorium, Blake is being patient and showering Adam’s face with chaste, gentle kisses as he waits for Adam to come back to Earth. 

The smaller man throws his arms around Blake’s neck to bring him closer, shifting his hips upwards like an offering. “Come on,” He pleads. “Why are you holding back?”

Blake smiles. “You really are an idiot if you think that I’m gonna let you rest after just one go round. You shut me out for weeks Adam, which means that you thought you could go without me inside you for that long.”

Blake jerks his hips forward, hard, and Adam’s breath hitches with the movement. It’s true that he’s wrung out, but Blake’s words are enough to get his heart hammering in anticipation. 

“That’s a notion that I need to cure you of right now.” Blake breathes into Adam’s ear. “We’re not done, Adam. Not even close.”


	24. Shield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shevine Project Prompt: AU where Adam is a rock star who has gotten death threats because he got super opinionated in an interview, and his record label hires him a body guard. Protective!Blake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Isn't exactly like the prompt, but I gave it a go.

“Of course women have the right to choose!” Adam sneers. “It’s 2015, I mean come on people! Get evolved. What kind of backwards idiot doesn't know this?”

From where he’s perched in his chair in the studio, Adam can see Carson rest his head in his hands. The image was a familiar if not welcome one. After working with the man as his publicist for close to a decade, he knew it meant he’d stuck his foot in his mouth again. 

Adam doubles back, mentally replaying the last two minutes in his head. The cheeky blonde interviewer had started getting pushy, but Adam had been too distracted by her mischievous smile and dimples (Adam loved dimples) to really think about what he’d been asked. 

Now that he thought about it, ‘How do you feel about the governor’s controversial speech yesterday?’ wasn’t one of the pre-approved, carefully screened interview questions about his upcoming tour that they’d agreed on with the woman from E! Network. 

The interviewer’s smile had turned triumphant, and behind the lens trained on the pair of them, Adam could see mild surprise from the cameraman over his mistake. All the stage lights trained on him suddenly felt much hotter. Adam pulled at the collar of his tee shirt.

Yeah. Carson was going to wanna kill him. Or quit. 

Adam decided to smile back at the girl, sporting his most charming, flirtatious grin. It was too late to backpedal, and hey, he stood by his statements. Even though he’d just been schooled like a Hollywood rookie he refused to feel bad about being honest. It was best to just own it. 

This is easier said than done when a few days later the interview actually airs on TV. The obligatory barrage of social media and gossip column articles appear, but Adam doesn’t sweat it. He has the tour to worry about. 

Adam’s pretty much packed up all his things from his house. Everything he’d need for two months on the road are squashed into four duffel bags, and in a pile by the door are all the things the dog sitters might need while they watch Charlie and Bones for him. 

Adam finishes up writing a very detailed note with instructions for the sitters when they stop by to pick up the dogs. He swings open his front door to tape it there, but curiously there’s already something stuck to the wood. A plain white envelope was taped to his door.

“Huh.” Adam hums. It’s not signed, but it is sealed. 

“Aww I love surprises,” He confides to his pets as he starts to peel open the parchment. “Maybe someone’s gonna miss me- Whoa!!”

Adam’s heart drops in his chest just as quickly as he drops the contents of the envelope. 

Inside was a photo of him, but it was mutilated and Adam felt his stomach roil- was that blood? Someone had drawn injuries over his likeness, and big angry words were scrawled above him in what looked to be red sharpie. 

“You’re dead, Levine. Baby killers get killed: you’re next.”

A chill stole over the singer. This clearly wasn’t a joke. Adam looked up quickly, surveying his front yard and driveway. There was no one in sight, and in the distance he could see his gate was still closed. 

Instead of being relieved by this, it made Adam nervous. Whoever had left the note had been able to get in and out without disturbing the area or getting caught by his neighborhood's security. That meant they were serious.

Adam decided to leave his note for the sitters on the kitchen counter. As he packed up his car and sped towards the studio, he was suddenly happy that they already had a key to his place. That meant he didn’t have to wait around like a sitting duck. 

Adam arrives at the studio and heads straight for his tour manager’s office. 

"Adam! Ready to go?"

“I need security.” He says as he plops down into the office chair in front of his desk. 

His manager smiles. “You already have it. We always hire the best.”

“I need more, not just the usual stuff.” He pleads. He lowers his voice as he leans forward. “I got a death threat this morning. Someone left it at my house.”

“What?” His manager sobers up instantly. “Did you call the police?”

“No! I don’t need the cops- we're about to leave town for a couple months, there’d be no point. Since we’ll be constantly on the move, just having someone looking out would be good.” Adam never thought he’d be the type to ask for this, so he’s a little embarrassed. “I’d like personal bodyguard for the tour. Just, ya know, to be extra safe.”

“Okay, we can do that. I’ll call up the firm and see who’s available right now.”  
…

“This is really last minute, don’t you think?” Blake asks his boss over the phone as he begins to pack his go-bag. “A two month assignment and I’m being told the morning of?”

“Sorry, Blake but you’re the only one with the open window. We were just asked ten minutes ago, so we’re scrambling here. Will you do it? This is one of our high profile clients.”

“Aren’t they all high profile?” Blake laughed. Over ten years of working security detail in this town, and he’d never once been assigned to someone who wasn’t an A-lister or dating one.

“Blake, please. Your rate will be bumped since we had no prior notice.”

Blake hems and haws for a moment, letting his boss sweat about it for a second. Miranda was a slave driver, so it was a little satisfying to hear her sigh in relief when he finally caved. “Alright. I’ll do it.”

“Thank you, Blake! They’re sending a car for you in an hour.”

“An hour?” Blake squawked. “Damn, this really is a last minute deal!”

“No kidding.” 

Miranda hung up without so much as a good bye, but Blake understood. She ran the most sought after security firm in the hills, so it was no surprise she was incredibly busy. He ought to get busy too if he was going to pack up two months worth of crap in an hour.

They swing by exactly on time, and Blake was whisked down to the west side near the entertainment district. 

When they pulled onto the lot, Blake watched the chaos unfold and tried to guess what exactly he’d signed on for, since Miranda hadn’t told him.

There were large charter buses and loads of AV equipment being packed into vehicles. Easily two dozen people sporting similar black clothing and head sets were running around with focused expressions and clipboards. 

As he’s escorted through the area and into the building, Blake realizes it’s a music tour, which explained the extended time frame.

“Mr. Shelton?” A short, deeply tanned man holds out his hand as he’s guided into a conference room. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. I’m told you’re one of the best proximity detail specialists in the business.”

“Yes, sir. Happy to help.” Blake shakes the man’s hand and nods, but someone else had caught his attention. 

Sitting in one of the office chairs with his head down was another, much younger looking man. He was taller than the first guy, but he also looked very wiry and thin. Blake guessed this was his assignment. 

“This is Adam Levine,” the older man confirms for Blake as he gestures at the musician. “He’s going on tour across the country, but apparently he’s been getting some threats. That’s why we called.”

Adam looks up then, and Blake feels a sharp jolt of surprise. Even for Hollywood, the guy was stunningly handsome, with searing hazel eyes and refined features. He doesn’t speak, but he offers Blake a nervous smile.

He tries to put the guy at ease. “Nice to meet you, Adam. You can call me Blake, since I’m going to be your constant shadow for two months.” 

Adam’s manager takes a seat, so Blake does the same as he starts in on his orientation routine with a practiced, professional tone. “We need to cover a few ground rules about what close-proximity security entails, including what I do and don’t do, and how I can address any specific concerns you’re having.”

Adam leans forward, looking more at ease. “Okay.”

“Firstly, what kind of threats have you been getting? I need to know everything.”

Adam looked embarrassed. “You’re going to think I’m being dumb, but there’s only been one and it was this morning. Just a note taped to my door, but I live in a gated community, so whoever left it got through my usual security.”

“I don’t think that’s dumb at all, man.” Blake reassured him. “Threats are no joke, and it’s better to be safe than sorry. Are the authorities involved?”

Adam shook his head. 

“Do you know who might want to hurt you? Does anyone come to mind?”

“Well, it was a pretty specific note,” Adam admitted. “I did this interview a couple days ago. It was supposed to just be tour promo, but I ended up talking about the governor’s speech, and basically I think I’ve pissed off all the pro-lifers in the country.”

“Ah.” Blake nodded. “Okay. Well, now that I know what I’m dealin’ with, let’s hash out how this is going to work.”

Blake outlines his typical duties and how he’ll become a buffer between Adam and everyone else. “I won’t leave your side unless you’re in the bathroom or your bedroom, and even then I’ll probably be hovering somewhere close by. If you need space or privacy, I can do that but there are some limits to how far away I can be while still providing protection.”

”When we’re on the move I’d like for you to get used to the idea of me walking in front of you whenever we enter and exit buildings. Once we’re at any venue and you’re working, I’ll be near the closest doorway or stage exit so you always know where I’m at.” Blake continues on with his highly detailed speech, and Adam gives him his full attention. 

This is a relief to Blake. Half the trouble of running a good security detail was handling troublesome protectees who couldn’t follow his guidelines. Luckily it seemed like Adam wasn’t going to be any trouble at all. “Does this sound like a good plan to you?”

“Honestly?” Adam smiles. “The second you walked in I knew this was gonna be exactly what I needed. You’re so freakin’ tall nobody’s gonna think twice about getting past you.”

Blake laughs. “Hopefully that’s true, but if it’s not just be certain that I have what it takes to back it up. There’s quite a bit of bite behind my bark, if you know what I mean.”

The singer blushes of all things, prompting Blake to smile. This was going to be an interesting few months.   
…

What Blake gets right away is that Adam must be a big fucking deal. Huge.

After he’s signed his life away on employment contracts and non-disclosure and publicity agreements, he accompanies Adam back to the parking lot. “Which bus is yours?”

Blake doesn’t understand why Adam looks a little embarrassed until his manager laughs. “Adam? In a tour bus? Not unless he absolutely has to be. No, you two will be in the jet.”

Blake quirks an eyebrow at the rock star but says nothing as they’re whisked off to a private airstrip near LAX while the rest of the tour crew hits the highway.

When they settle in to plush, creamy leather seats and take off for their first stop in Las Vegas, Blake stays quiet, only surveying the tour schedule and roster of full and part-time employees. He studies up, memorizing floor plans and puts faces to names until Adam interrupts him. 

“Sorry if this is weird.” The musician blurts suddenly. It’s just the two of them in the plane besides the pilot who is up in the cabin, so his words seem very loud.

Blake looks up, startled. Typically his clients were very polite but kept to themselves during travel and events. Conversely, Adam seemed to be yearning for conversation if the way he’d thrown his phone to the side and leaned towards Blake was any indication. 

It wasn’t exactly in his job description to entertain the protectee, but Adam was easy on the eyes and looked seriously uncomfortable. Something about the way he held himself inspired Blake’s protective streak. Chatting for a little bit wouldn’t kill him. 

“What do you mean?”

Adam gestures awkwardly at their surroundings. “The whole private jet thing. And that you’ve been just been thrown onto this job. You couldn’t have had much notice. I feel a little bad.”

“You shouldn’t.” Blake replies as he flips through his papers absently. “I never take a job I don’t want. Don’t worry your pretty little head about that.”

Adam’s head tilts to the side at his wording, but Blake continues. “As far as this jet is concerned, I go where you go. It doesn’t matter if its planes, cars, trains or boats. They’re all fine with me, so long as I can keep close.”

Adam still has that uneasy glint in his eye, so Blake smiles. “Private jets aren’t that impressive to me anymore, rock star. You’re not the first diva I’ve worked for.”

Adam’s features light up with surprise before he busts up into giggles. He sounds relieved when says, “Where’d you get that mouth, man?”

“Oklahoma, believe it or not.”

“Wow.” Adam shakes his head. “I think I’ve been there maybe twice? Nothing but fields n’ farms out there. I can see why you moved.”

Blake shrugs. “My hometown was beautiful actually, but when I graduated high school I joined up in the army like pretty much every other guy in my class. After that I worked for private companies and life got really interesting. Never thought I’d end up in a place like LA though.”

“Well I’m glad you did, man.” Adam sprawled out in his seat, a huge difference from how he was sitting stiffly a few minute ago. “LA needs more people like you. Plus, now I’ve got you on my side.”

“Doesn’t seem like a bad side to be on.”   
…

Blake hasn’t worked security on a tour since he was in his twenties, but hanging with Adam is not anything like how he remembers. All the unpleasant parts of travel seem to be kept at arms length, leaving only the glamor of the work.

The musician doesn’t have to lug any equipment, and at every stop he’s treated like a VIP. Adam has suites booked in five star hotels whenever they stay overnight in a city, and he’s chauffeured between airports, promo sites and venues with expert efficiency. 

Blake finds that he doesn’t have as much to do as he’d anticipated. The regular security detail does most of his work for him. Blake debriefs with them three times a day since they handle most of the heavy lifting and crowd control. After being on the road for a while with exactly zero incidents, Blake begins to realize he’s more of a body man than an actual security detail. 

Mostly he just keeps Adam company. The dude travels solo, which is pretty rare for musicians of his fame level, and Blake is the only constant in his daily routine. To keep from going mad with their hectic schedule, they fall into a routine of constant bickering and banter. It works for the both of them- it helps Blake stay busy and it keeps Adam relaxed. 

During their off time, Adam insists on sharing their meals together and begged Blake to play basketball with him whenever they have a chance. 

“Your height makes for good practice!” Adam had insisted, and who was he to deny him? It was a good workout after all. 

Adam opens up to him pretty quickly because tour life creates that kind of atmosphere that inspires insta-friendships. The vocalist is a chatter-box, but surprisingly Blake doesn’t find it annoying. 

Adam is funny and earnest and cares deeply for his fans, and Blake doesn’t have any trouble drumming up motivation to protect the little guy.   
…

Blake learned quickly that earplugs were a necessity. Sure, the music was loud, but the fan girls were louder. 

Two weeks in and Blake was positive that they were getting louder at every show.

Blake hovered just behind the stage and carefully watched the stage hands and sound techs. Once he’d made his rounds and felt like things were running smoothly, Blake allowed himself to stand still and watch Adam at work. 

It really was something. Even though it was just him on a massive stage by himself, Adam had no trouble filling up the space. He seemed born for it. 

The genuine goofball he’d been getting to know had morphed into a cocky, seductive force of nature that was stealing the hearts of every single person in the venue.

When things were starting to wrap up, Adam surprised him yet again as he turned and glanced backstage for a moment right at Blake. The bodyguard raised his eyebrows at Adam.

“Let’s do a throw back, right now. Does that sound good to you guys?”

The crowd screamed. 

“Alright, this one’s called ‘I Can’t Lie’.”

Predictably, enthusiastic cheering ensued but Adam didn’t break eye contact with Blake as he started moving to a bouncy upbeat tune. 

Blake couldn’t help the bemused chuckle that escaped him as he watched Adam dance and sing.

“…I can’t lie, you’re on my mind, stuck inside my head…”

Blake shook his head at Adam’s antics. Was he kidding around? Was he serious with this stunt?

Unfortunately, when the show was over there was no time to talk about it. Adam flies off stage after an encore and grabs a water and a new shirt. 

Blake accompanied the exhausted singer to a meet and greet with fans in another part of the building. He had his hands full with watching over the whole affair, but as he observed Adam sign autographs and pose for photos he found that he was still thinking about the song. 

By the time they’re done for real and heading for the jet, Adam is almost asleep on his feet and it seems like a stupid thing to bring up.   
…

Adam has another big arena show a few days later. He’s running by every radio station in the Midwest town they’re stopped at to talk up the new album. Blake stays close, constantly assessing their surroundings as Adam charms his way into the hearts of listeners with his fast talking and sharp wit. 

The last station of the afternoon before they head back to the stadium has Adam scheduled to do a stripped-down vocals only version of one of his songs. 

The radio people had collected a small but dedicated group of Adam Levine fans to sit in for the show, and Blake is hovering in the back behind the group as the guy does his thing. 

Even though he’s heard all the songs hundreds of times by now, this bare bones version seems brand new to him. It highlighted Adam’s abilities and the unique tone of his voice and Blake was thoroughly enjoying himself. 

Adam truly was beautiful when he performed. Even for a small group of 20 people, he gave his all for his performance. Blake could see how much the music mattered to Adam; he clearly didn’t care if he was singing for a few people or a few thousand. 

Adam is mid way through the number when it happens-

Out of nowhere a man steps into the studio and around the group of fan girls. At first Blake thinks he’s one of the station’s employees, but a quick glance reveals no badge on his person. Blake had insisted all ID be worn prominently for the performance, so a red flag goes off in his head. 

The guy’s moving quickly now towards Adam, who’s too wrapped up in the song to notice, but Blake is quicker. The confused murmuring from a few people turns to alarmed shrieking when the guy pulls a knife out of his pocket and brings his arm up.

Blake lunges and crashes into the man, forcing the guy’s arms to his side. The blade clatters to the floor but Blake has to fight to keep the man on the ground, which is annoying, he wants to stand up and check on Adam-

“What the fuck?!”

Blake rolls his eyes. 

Yep. Adam was fine. 

Back up security is lightning fast in getting the guy out of there, but Adam is flinching back and pale as a ghost because the creep is shouting obscenities at him, screaming that he’s a murderer and a degenerate.

When the door closes behind the guards, the intimate setting of the studio now seems way too up close and personal for Blake’s comfort. The fans are talking loudly, some seem excited and others seem upset, but they’re all too loud for Adam to handle right now.

“All right!” He yells over the din. “Thank ya’ll for coming- we’re cutting this thing off short! We’ll see you all at tonight’s show!”

There’s a smattering of applause for him as he wraps an arm around Adam’s shaking shoulders and whisks him out of the room. 

Blake pulls out his walkie-talkie. “Bobby. Status.”

“Assailant’s being held by local PD. Back exit’s cleared. Fans are behind a barricade outside, 20 yards back. You have a clean shot to the car.”

Blake steers Adam out of the building and into the black SUV waiting for them. 

“You okay?” He asks once they’re on their way back to the main venue. 

“Y-yeah.” Adam says. He’s staring at Blake with wide eyes. “You saved my life.”

Blake rolled his eyes. “You’re alright, Adam. None of that cliché shit, okay?”

Adam laughs despite himself, and Blake’s a little relieved because it seems to bring some color back to the singer’s cheeks. He reaches out and seizes Adam’s hand before he can think any better of it. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. You’re safe with me.”

Adam’s eyes are shining. 

“I know.”  
…

A week later in Pennsylvania, Adam’s hovering around the event center’s green room like a hummingbird in flight. 

The incident had blown up the Internet for a good couple days. Because Adam never learns he’d given a quote about the ordeal. 

Luckily, Carson had heavily edited it so it only showed that Adam was able to laugh it off and that he was fully focused on his music. Ticket prices for the rest of the tour dates had hit an all time high. Everything was good.

Only, Blake was the sole person who could see that everything wasn’t totally copacetic. Adam was still a little nervous. He flinched a lot when people got close, and he’d come to rely on Blake much more for keeping people at bay.

Blake took it seriously. He always made sure that Adam was comfortable before interacting with the public, but when it was just the two of them he made sure not to baby Adam. Treating Adam like a victim wasn't going to make the singer feel any better, so Blake forced himself to keep up their usual level of snark even though he was a little worried about him. 

The past couple days Adam had insisted that he be allowed to isolate himself before performances, with only Blake for company. 

Now that they’re locked in the green room together until it’s show time, Blake tries to ignore him. But when the singer’s agitated pacing turns into outright jogging he’s had enough. 

“Chill out, would you?” Blake grumbled as he flipped through a magazine. “You’re makin’ me nervous and I’m not even in the freakin’ act.”

“Sorry.” Adam sighs. “I just hate the waiting, you know? I don’t like sitting still.”

Blake eyed him, his grumpiness melting slightly into amusement. “Well come here then. We’ll just talk. Get your mind off the nerves.”

Adam hesitates, but then sits down next to Blake on the couch. He makes sure to sit so that Blake is between him and the door, just as the man had requested when they’d first met. 

“So,” Blake drawls in his southern twang. “Big crowd, huh? Your biggest yet I heard. What is it, like 30,000 people?”

“Blake!” Adam cries, jumping up from the couch. “That’s not helping!”

His bodyguard throws his head back and laughs. It’s a deep, full laugh, one that stops Adam in his tracks and seems to enfold him in a warm embrace. A small smile creeps onto his face as he stares at the handsome southerner, and soon he’s chuckling too. 

“Okay. Maybe I need to chill out a little bit.”

“A lot.” Blake grinned. He pats the cushion beside him and Adam plops down again. 

They sit for a time, just enjoying each other’s company but when Adam starts to fidget again, Blake opens his mouth. 

“You don’t have to answer me, but I’ve wondered since the start of this whole thing,” Blake said softly. “Why did you even answer that question? You didn’t have to.”

Adam doesn’t need to ask to which question he’s referring. He shrugs. “To be honest, I was blind-sided. As I’m sure you can tell by now, I like to run my mouth a little bit, and I was on autopilot when she asked. The truth was what came out.”

Blake’s blue eyes are sparkling down at him, and Adam finds it’s suddenly hard to keep eye contact. He’d just barely gotten the hang of talking to the man without swooning- now he was expected to talk to him and stare into those fiery blue eyes at the same time too?

“Well, she shouldn’t have asked you. You’re an entertainer, not a politician.”

Adam frowned. “What? I’m not allowed to have an opinion because I’m a singer?”

“No, I only meant-“

“I’m a person, Blake! I’m allowed to have opinions on things, and fuck anyone who says otherwise. Yeah, I’m a little messy about it, and not everyone’s gonna like what I have to say, but I have to say it. It’s who I am.”

“Adam, calm down.” Blake smiled. “I was just gonna say it wasn’t fair of her, you hyped up little shit. For the record, I love that you’re opinionated. You have a voice, and you’re genuinely passionate which is pretty rare these days. It’s one of my favorite things about you.”

Adam stares for a moment at Blake’s sweet smile. Then he’s crawling into the man’s lap and covering it with his mouth. Adam connects their lips and is enormously pleased when Blake’s hands immediately grab at the skin underneath his tee shirt. 

The fabric is riding up, and Adam shivers as Blake’s hands rest palm down on his back. He leans in closer to better his angle before aiming to get the kiss really filthy.

“You like this mouth of mine?” Adam asks huskily between nipping at Blake’s lower lip. Blake groans and squeezes Adam close to him. It sends a throb of arousal through the singer. “It’s multi-talented, you know. Very good for… other things too.”

Blake pulled away and quirked an eyebrow under his now disheveled locks. “You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”

“No I’m really not.” Adam promised. He ground his hips against the front of Blake’s jeans just to prove it, and the man’s head fell to rest against Adam’s chest. 

“We can’t do this.” Blake sighed. “You have a show in like half an hour. Plus I’ll get fired.”

“Come on. No one has to know.” Adam cajoled, threading his fingers through the roots of Blake’s hair and biting softly at the skin below his ear. “I’ll be quick.”

Blake barked out a laugh as Adam slid to the floor in front of him and went for his zipper. “You know, that’s not exactly something to brag about- oh…”

Blake bit his fist as Adam yanked down his jeans and boxers just enough to get at Blake’s cock. 

“Adam!” Blake whispered, but it turned into more of a yelp when hot suction surrounded the tip of his dick. “Oh my god.”

Adam’s eyes blazed up at him with amusement and lust as he showered Blake with affection. The bodyguard grasped gently at the back of Adam’s neck as the musician made quick work of him. The guy wasn’t kidding. He had an extremely talented tongue, one that was about send Blake shooting off like a teenager. 

“A-Adam,” Blake groaned as he came. His hips shoved upwards as Adam sucked harder, clearly aiming to swallow everything that Blake was giving him. When he was bone dry, the now flushed vocalist popped off with glazed, happy eyes. 

Blake pulled him back into his lap and kissed him deeply. Usually it was weird to taste yourself on another person’s mouth, but Adam was so beautiful he honestly didn’t mind.

“Mmm,” Blake licked his lips as they pulled away from one another. “Is this how you start affairs with all your groupies?”

Adam shakes in his lap with laughter, and if he weren’t spent Blake supposed he might be up for another round just from that alone. 

“You’re not a groupie, dude. Ew.” He scrunched up his nose. “You’re just special I guess.”

“No kidding?”

Adam is still rock hard against him, so it’s with a breathy tone that he confesses, “No kidding. Maybe after the tour is over and we're back in LA I can take you to dinner? Explore whatever this is between us a little more?”

“I’d like that.” Happiness blooms in Blake's chest. 

He smiles mischievously. "We've got enough time I think. How about I return the favor right now and explore you a little?"

Adam shivers against him. "Yes, please."


	25. Twizzler Challenge

“This is fucking gross.” Adam complains. 

Blake frowns. 

“Should I be offended by that? I feel like I should be offended by that.”

“You know how I feel about sharing food. It’s weird. And unhygienic.”

“But you’ll kiss me all the time without complaint? Do you realize how stupid you sound?”

Adam leans across the table and pecks Blake on the mouth just to fuck with him. 

“You can’t do that on camera.” Carson says with all the exhaustion of a long-suffering nanny figure. 

“I thought that was the point?” Adam asks.

Carson shrugs, tossing the bag of twizzlers onto the table. “The point is charity, you two. Not making out. It’s supposed to be about getting close, but not that close. Remember that, please.”

The host steps back behind the camera crew that’s set up shop in the voice lounge area, and he’s obscured by the lights shining on the musicians. 

“Whenever you guys are ready!” One of the production assistants calls over Adam and Blake’s quiet bickering. Blake shushes Adam, who shoves him roughly on the arm. 

“Hi, everyone!” Adam grins brightly into the camera lens. “Welcome to the Voice set’s Twizzler challenge! I’m Carson Daly, and-“

“Cut!”

“Adam!” Carson shouts, as Blake lets out a booming laugh. 

“Sorry, sorry!”

“Blake. You start it.”

The red light on the camera goes on again. 

“Hey ya’ll, Blake Shelton here. My good friend Hoda called me out a few days ago for something called the Twizzler Challenge-“

“LOVE. Twizzlers.” Adam gushes, but after a warning glance from Carson he went back to smiling blandly at the camera while Blake kept talking.

“It’s an effort to raise awareness for Autism. Unfortunately, she also called out this guy right here,” 

Blake gestures to Adam with mock disgust, and Adam bats his eyelashes at the country singer obnoxiously. “But it’s a great cause, so I’ve said I’ll suffer through.”

Adam grabbed for the package of candy and ripped it open with a little too much enthusiasm. Twizzler sticks went in every direction. 

“Oops.” Adam stared down at a few in his lap. 

“So, for those of you doing this at home remember not to do what Adam does. Actually, don’t do what Adam does in general, unless you like screwing up on every level.”

Blake received a Twizzler stick to the forehead. He sighed as it bounced off of his face and onto the table. “Let’s just do this thing.”

Both men scooted forward more, leaning across the table towards one another. 

Adam held up one piece of candy. “Dang, these things are shorter than I thought. Are we gonna be able to reach?”

“Quit yer whinin’” Blake scoffed. “Nobody likes a chicken.”

Adam sealed his lips around his end of the candy and quirked an eyebrow at Blake. 

“Ready when you are,” Adam said, but his snark was kind of ruined by the muffled way his words came out. “Waiting on you Shelton!”

Blake enjoyed the image of Adam leaning forward with his mouth wrapped around the red candy for a fraction of a second longer before leaning in himself. He struggled not to laugh as he took his end into his mouth- he already felt like an idiot. 

Was he ever going to say no to acting like a fool on television? At the moment, it felt like the answer was a resounding ‘no’.

They both stared at one another, and Blake enjoyed watching Adam get more and more flushed before the rock star’s eyes darted off camera. “Do… do we just go? Do we get counted off?”

Carson jumped in. “One… two… three!”

Adam and Blake started chewing on the Twizzler, both with the gusto of a competitive five year old child. Adam looked to be having trouble chewing on account of how big he was smiling.

Blake happily noted that he was way closer to the halfway mark on the Twizzler string than Adam. He was going to win, which was what mattered after all! 

Suddenly Adam’s hand flew forward and starting pushing hard on Blake’s chest, trying to make him fall backwards- the little shit was cheating!

Blake leaned inwards more and grabbed Adam’s arm with the hand not holding onto the table. With a flick of his wrist he yanked Adam forward, making him lose his balance. 

Adam’s lips went crashing into Blake’s own, the Twizzler disappearing somewhere in between them. Adam let out a little kind of squeak which turned into a moan when Blake aggressively licked against his lips, opening the smaller man up for a filthier kiss that tasted oh so sweet. 

Maybe charity challenges weren’t so bad.

“GUYS.” Carson bellowed. 

Adam pulled away with a wet sounding smack. 

Blake licked his own lips, savoring the taste. “What!?”

The host stared at them, incredulous. He addressed the poor production assistant, who was blushing a deep shade of red. 

“Are we going to be able to use any of that?” He asked her weakly. 

She shrugged, seeming to be at a loss for words.


	26. Keep Me Warm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a very specific kink that was requested, one which I had very little knowledge of. Hopefully it came out okay!

It was the evening and Blake was cozied up under the covers. He had three pillows propping him up against the headboard and his phone in front of his face. The light of it made his already blue eyes positively luminescent, and when Adam jumped onto the bed he relished how those eyes turned to focus on him. 

“Do you always have to do that?” Blake asked. His tone was exasperated but his smile of amusement gave him away. Adam knew that Blake loved his never ending stream of energy, and the childish way in which he channeled it.

“Yes. Don’t complain.” Adam flopped right on top of Blake, getting a quiet ‘oof’ sound out of the man as he rested his head against Blake’s chest and looked up at him. 

“Can I help you?”

“I wanna talk about something,” Adam started. The singer bit his lip, so Blake set aside his phone. It was probably not a joke if the small spark of nerves in Adam’s features were to be believed. 

He gave Adam his full attention. “Okay.”

“I just wanna start off saying that I love the way you fuck me, and I’m totally happy with our sex life,”

Blake’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at the blunt statement. “Glad to know I have good reviews.”

“Shut up man, you know what I mean.” Adam swatted at Blake’s arm as his cheeks heated a little. 

Blake chuckled and rested one hand against the back of Adam’s neck in a soothing gesture, trying to get him to relax. “I’m sensing there’s a ‘but’ in that sentence?”

Adam nodded. 

”There’s this thing I’ve been wanting to try, and I feel like you might think it’s weird, and actually I think it’s a little weird too but I was kind of interested? But you might not want to which is totally fine, and actually you know what, I don’t know why I brought this up!” Adam tried to scoot back off of Blake. “Never mind.”

“Darlin’,” Blake tightened his hold on Adam’s nape. “Don’t get all nervous. What is it?”

Reluctantly Adam settled back into Blake’s space, but the country singer spied a little tightness in his shoulders that didn’t ease away. 

“It’s called, uh, cock warming.” Adam said, his face a fiery red as he stumbled on the term. “It’s this thing where you just stay in me. For however long.”

Arousal jolted through Blake even at this simple description. 

“Doesn’t sound so weird to me.”

Adam shook his head. “There’s more to it than that, it’s like intimacy power play in a way, but- ugh, I can’t really describe it. I just wanted to know if the next time we have sex you’d be game if we gave it a go.”

Blake leaned down and kissed Adam gently on the mouth. “I’d try almost anything once for you, Adam. Yeah.”

…

Apparently Adam is more eager to try this than he had let on, because the next time they have sex turns out to be the second they get home from filming the following day. The pair walk into the foyer and set down their things, and before Blake knows what’s happening Adam is leading him firmly by the hand to the couch and shoving him into the pillows there.

“In a hurry?” Blake stares but doesn’t move or hinder Adam’s progress when the rock star unbuttons Blake’s shirt so it’s hanging off of him. Adam pulls off Blake’s jeans and scoots his underwear down enough to get at what he’s apparently had on his mind all day. 

Adam handles Blake with a focus that the Southerner has never seen before. It seems a little odd to him initially, but then Adam starts getting affectionate, kissing and licking him like he’s a treat that’s been desperately craved. 

Blake’s breath hitches when Adam’s small licks turn into long luxurious ones, and soon the singer is providing tight, hot suction for the entirety of Blake’s length, keeping his mouth in a firm o shape as he bobs his head. 

Adam is so skilled at using his mouth in just the right way, it has Blake right on the edge until Adam rolls his balls in his expert fingers. 

With a groan, Blake shot his seed deep down Adam’s throat. The younger man savored the heat of it even as he felt the discomfort of his own cock leaking pre come against his clothing. 

Adam settled in for the long haul, careful to keep his throat relaxed and angled in just the right way so he wouldn’t be choking for air. Blake’s cock was thick and heavy against his tongue and tickling right at the back of his throat. At first it made his eyes water, and it was a challenge to stay still but soon he found himself relaxing into the constant sensation of just having something there, inside his throat. 

It was oddly soothing. Adam focused on breathing in, and he found himself savoring the familiar musk of Blake’s body so close to his face- it was something he could anchor himself to. 

He could feel Blake staring down at him in fascination. It upped his heart rate a little, when what he really wanted was to be mellowed out by becoming a claimed space.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the scent of Blake, of Blake taking his mouth, of Blake’s long fingers gently running through his hair, across his brow, against his cheekbone. 

Yes, this had been a good call. This was exactly what he’d hoped for. 

He lost time after a while, listing into a dreamy haze of scent and sound and sighs. He didn’t know if it’d been 20 minutes or two hours, but when he felt Blake’s hand tugging him away from his dick by his hair, Adam instinctively resisted the change. 

“You still good? Really?” Blake asks, his voice a little huskier, a little sleepier than when they’d first started. 

Adam moaned around Blake, languidly rubbing his tongue against the underside of Blake’s cock. 

“Shit,” Blake hissed, pulling at Adam’s hair more tightly, then shoving his face roughly into his pubic hair. “You can’t get enough, can you? Don’t ever wanna let me go.”

Adam moaned again, hoping Blake would understand his enthusiastic agreement. He struggled in that moment to keep his hands pliant and obedient by his sides. He wanted nothing more than to stroke at Blake’s thighs, push them wider so he could get closer, but that wasn’t what this was about. This was about being passive, becoming nothing but truly receptive to what Blake had to offer him. 

For a little while longer he managed this incredibly well. In the end though, it was Blake who’d had enough. His occasional stroking and petting slowly turned into a more rough, needy groping as Adam felt his dick harden in his throat. 

He wrapped his fingers around Adam’s neck, cupping his jaw and tilting his face upward. “Come on up, baby.”

Adam pulled off, making sure to be gentle. He didn’t want to trigger his gag reflex or start coughing; his throat was sore enough right now that he knew it would hurt like a bitch. In fact, he didn’t feel confident in speaking at all at the moment. 

Instead the vocalist shed his clothes and climbed up onto the couch. He settled across Blake so his ass was in the older man’s lap. 

He keened softly as he felt Blake’s blunt fingers get right to work, plying him open and rubbing warm lube against the creases of his rim. Blake stroked on the far edge of too firm every single time and it made Adam’s spine stiffen in both pleasure and pain in just the right way. 

Adam loved the way he was forced to yield and welcome Blake’s body inside of his own, but he loved more that Blake was able to make him do this with just his hand. It always built up his anticipation for what was to come. 

Adam scrambled to comply when Blake lifted his hips off of him, and the rock star settled on the couch cushions. He felt a chaste kiss against his shoulder blade, and then something much larger than a few fingers began to prod into him. 

“O-ohhh,” Adam moaned. 

“Yeah, honey.” Blake growled against Adam’s throat. “Look at you, takin’ it so good. You’re so good at taking cock, ain’t nothin’ better than this…”

Adam just felt HEAT as Blake slid home. He felt scorching electrical pulses all down his spine and limbs as Blake’s heavy balls nestled against his ass like they were made to be there. 

The moment was all heavy fullness, and Adam savored it for as long as he was able before Blake started to fuck him deeply. 

Adam panted, gripping the cushion beneath him with one hand. His other hand was intertwined with one of Blake’s, their fingers lacing together with Blake’s thumb stroking his skin in time with his thrusts. 

“Blake!” Adam cried, because god yes, the angle was perfect and his lover’s thrusts were getting faster and rougher, this was his favorite thing, how Blake lost control one brutal shove at a time. It was primal and so deeply satisfying. 

Adam took his pounding well, screaming beautifully when Blake seized his hair and forced him to arch into his bigger body as he filled Adam up with his load. 

Blake released his hold on Adam’s hip bone. Two more shallow shoves into Adam, and he felt like he was thoroughly wrung out. Adam moaned wantonly under him, his face pressed into the couch cushion. 

Blake leaned over him and pressed a kiss to his neck. “Stay here and relax, baby. I’m going to get you some water.”

“N-no,” Adam let out a small distressed noise when Blake pulled out of him, but other than a small reflexive arching of his back he stayed prone where he was. 

Blake walked unsteadily to the kitchen and gathered up two water bottles for them along with a bag of the dried goji berries Adam was currently obsessed with.

He couldn’t have been gone for more than a minute, but when Adam hears him approach he lifts his head an inch off the sofa. “You weren’t supposed to leave. I need you.” He calls softly. 

“You have me, Adam.” Blake says bemusedly as he sets down the stuff and unscrews the cap off one water bottle. 

“Mmhm..” Adam sighs as Blake brings the water bottle to his lips. He drinks obediently; taking three gulps before turning his head. “Need you back in me.”

“Already?”

“It’s the whole point.” Adam arches more, spreading his cum covered thighs a little wider. 

Blake groans. It’s hard to argue with that. Blake runs his hands down Adam’s spine, admiring the responsiveness of his lover’s body as he shivers. 

“Why don’t you sit up so you’re not scrunched into the side of the sofa. We can make you more comfortable.”

Adam gives him a sleepy glare over his shoulder. 

“You’ll like it, I promise.”

Adam doesn’t fight him when Blake manhandles the singer into his lap. He lets out a small gasp when Blake guides his cock up into Adam’s entrance. The smaller man throws his head back onto Blake’s shoulder, and they’re cheek to cheek as Adam slowly sinks back down onto Blake’s length. 

When Adam is once again fully impaled and sitting comfortably in Blake’s lap, he lets out a bone-deep sigh of utter contentment. He is lethargic and loose like a rag doll against Blake, and doesn’t protest in the least when the country singer reaches for the TV remote that’s lying on the arm of the sofa. 

Blake clicks on the television and flips to one of their favorite channels. They pass the water bottle between them and finish it off quickly, hydrating themselves as their bodies cool off from the strenuous activity. 15 minutes into the show, Adam’s asleep against him, breathing softly against his face. Blake smiles, and yeah, he does feel the warmth that Adam had promised him.   
…

Blake comes to when a particularly loud commercial plays. He feels disoriented at first, but then it all comes back to him when he feels the slick heat surrounding his dick and the heavy languid body pressed all along his front. 

“Fuck,” Blake moaned. 

His cock was getting hard again as he thought about what he and Adam had just done. He’d fallen asleep inside his lover, and even more intoxicating to think about, Adam was still asleep, relaxed as if there weren’t a cock deep up in his ass. 

He must’ve been telling the truth: he really achieved a deep contentment when they were physically connected like this. 

Blake nuzzled against the side of Adam’s face and squeezed the smaller man’s waist gently. “Adam…”

Adam’s eyes fluttered open. “Whaaa?”

“How’re you feeling?”

Once the haze of confusion in Adam’s eyes was replaced by clarity, he squirmed a little bit, testing. Then his muscles clamped down around Blake’s cock hard. The both of them groaned loudly at the sensation. 

“G-god, Blake,” Adam whined. ”Get us down, right now. You gotta fuck me right now, right fucking now.”

Blake wrapped his arms fully around Adam, bracing him as he bent forward and tumbled them onto the floor. Adam gasped as Blake folded him into the carpet so that he was on his back with the older man looming over him. Adam automatically shifted his hips so that he was presented for his boyfriend.

Blake grabbed at Adam’s ass and pulled him forward so that it was perfect. He rutted into Adam messily, but he was so slick and open from how long he’d been accommodating his lover that he had no trouble taking the rough thrusts. 

Adam gasped against Blake’s mouth, the way they were nipping at each other’s lips and biting each other’s throats had the smaller man feeling thoroughly debauched. 

Blake was so heavy on top of him, the heat of his skin was smothering him in the most delicious way and making the air hot like a furnace around them. 

Adam zeroed in on the wet, filthy sounds produced by their coupling and that was it for him-

“Blake, please-“ He gasped, “Come in me again, please come in me so it's hot and warm again, so it’s perfect, you’re perfect-“

Blake rubbed his face against Adam’s, the scratch of their stubble against one another a lightning of sharp sensation amidst the heavy pleasure throbbing through them, and with one dark low snarl he thrusted in deep, stayed locked in at the hilt and came. 

“Ugh!” Adam cried. He could feel the scorch of it, he was being warmed from the inside out and it was the most. delicious. thing.

The singer lifted his heavy, sweaty limbs with great effort and wrapped himself around Blake sleepily. The Southerner cuddled Adam and adjusted them so they were on their sides without dislodging himself from Adam’s hole. 

“So… we just stay like this.” Blake said in a hushed voice against Adam’s temple. He let his lips move against the younger man’s skin, savoring the slight trembling of Adam’s smaller frame. 

“Yeah. Gotta stay inside me so I can keep you warm and safe and happy… “ Adam hummed, snuggling closer into Blake’s chest. “Then when you want me again I’ll be all ready for you to use. We’ll keep it up until you’re tired of me.”

Blake’s cock twitched inside of Adam just at the notion of it. It was blowing his mind that this beautiful man’s secret fantasy, his sneaking pleasure, was to be Blake’s play thing.

“I don’t think I could ever get tired of you, Adam. Not ever.”

…

A few weeks later, Blake’s hesitation is a thing of the past. 

The country singer walks into their home tiredly, but when he flops onto the couch with a groan, it doesn’t weird him out that Adam is there kneeling in front of him in two seconds flat. 

The smaller man doesn’t need prompting, and Blake doesn’t need any kind of convincing. They’ve worked things out pretty well.

Blake sits sprawled as Adam undoes his belt for him and slides down his jeans and boxers. He gazes at his lover, who is all eager eyes and hungry lips that begin to lathe at the tip of Blake’s cock. 

His member fills, interested already, and as Adam works up to taking all of him, pushing more of Blake down is throat with gradual movements, Blake tells him about his day. 

He just talks to Adam, lets him hear his voice, and once Adam is relaxed and settled comfortably on the floor with a throat full of heated, heavy cock Blake trails off, giving them both the silence they need to drift. 

Adam’s eyes always close, almost as if he was sleeping, but Blake likes to take this time to study his lover. He’s happy to do this for Adam, and in a way it’s more intimate than typical sex. 

It does funny things to Blake’s heart when he muses over the implications of Adam’s kink; how he finds his deepest needs are met by simply having Blake inside of him, how his greatest desire is to be of service, to be of use in this most base of ways. 

Blake leans back and relaxes fully into the cushions, relishing the occasional readjusting lips or tonguing against his dick that spikes pleasure into his blood. For now, he wills himself into staying soft for Adam, so he can have at least a good hour of his time. It’s not difficult… he knows their night is just beginning.


	27. Leaving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING: This is straight up self-indulgent, triggering-as-hell angst. If suicide related stuff is hazardous content for you, please skip this chapter. Much love.

Adam’s eyes open. He stretches languidly, rolling his ankles underneath the bed sheets and letting his arms reach above his head in order to increase the circulation to his muscles. After arching his back to fully feel the stretch, he relaxes into the bedding with a sigh. He closes his eyes for one more moment, wishing for sleep to return to him. He knows his brain won’t let him rest anymore. He has things to do today. 

Adam slides out of bed and dresses himself. He chooses comfortable clothes: a nice cotton tee shirt and his most worn in jeans. The singer putters around his bedroom, straightening things up. He’d cleaned most of the house yesterday, but there were a few more items he needed to put away this morning. 

Adam heads to the kitchen and brews some coffee. He adds some coconut oil and cinnamon and curls over his mug to relish each and every drop of the warm liquid. Creature comforts were the best part of mornings. Adam looked out from the kitchen and surveyed his living room. Past that, he could see the light streaming into the music room, and even further where the hallway stretched to more bedrooms. His home was nice. He was grateful. He’d made sure to leave the place to his siblings. He loved them, and wanted them to have something to hang on to. It was the least he could do. 

Adam spent most of the morning cleaning out the rest of his more personal affects. The sensitive shit- things that might make people uncomfortable if they stumbled across them. As he burned documents in his living room fireplace and systematically deleted files off his home computers, Adam imagined his friends walking through these rooms in a few days time. He imagined where he would be. 

As his things turned to ash, his stomach growled. It was understandable, since it was almost noon. He contemplated making himself something, but dismissed the idea pretty quickly. There was no point. 

Finally, Adam looked around his home and decided there was nothing left to do. No more items to destroy, nothing left to give away. 

Adam made for the kitchen and headed straight to the liqueur cabinet above the fridge. He reached for one special bottle, on tiptoe so he could drag it from behind all the others. His friends and family knew of his vices and had taken to gifting him with the best brands of tequila for birthdays and holidays. He had plenty to choose from. 

But for this, the rock star decided to stick with one particular bottle of Patron. His fingers, now having that telltale cold from lack of food, curled around the neck of the container and he padded back over to his bedroom. 

He set down the tequila by his bed and reached for his phone where it was charging. He flipped through his contacts until he found the one he was looking for. He typed out a text message. 

“To: Blake

I know you're going to be mad. Just know that I'm sorry.”

He set the phone down. He let his fingers rest briefly on the small folded piece of paper next to the mobile, where all the things he wanted to say were written. He hoped they were enough for people to understand. 

Adam kneeled by the nightstand and pulled out two bottles from the drawer. One was prescription pain pills from the last time he had the flu. The other was his ADHD medication. 

Adam methodically uncapped both, and then poured the pills from one into the other so that they were all in the same bottle. Much easier that way. Adam held the pill bottle in one hand and then took the tequila in the other and stood carefully so he wouldn’t spill anything. He walked into his bathroom and stepped into his bathtub. He didn’t want to make any unnecessary mess for anyone. 

He sat and settled his back against the porcelain and shivered slightly at the chill emanating from it. As he took his first sip and winced at the burn, his phone began to ring in the other room. He ignored it.

Adam closed his eyes and tipped his head back a little. At this angle the tequila went down a little easier, and his sips were turning into larger pulls of the liquid. It still stung his throat terribly though. Tequila wasn’t meant to go down this much, this fast. He needed a break. 

Adam set the bottle down between his knees. It clunked slightly. The pill bottle rattled in his hand a little, and Adam briefly thought of M&Ms and tic-tacs as he began to swallow a few at a time. His phone was still ringing in the other room. The sound was jarring; it hadn’t stopped except for the brief pauses when the voicemail was undoubtedly catching the calls.

It was harder than he anticipated. It felt like the pills were catching in his throat. He lifted the Patron again, using it to wash them down in greater numbers despite the awful sensation. His stomach was really starting to hurt. 

At last he was done, and Adam curled up on the bottom of the tub to rest. He was so tired, but he’d done it. There was nothing left for him to do. 

Adam waited. The phone kept ringing.

A few seconds passed, or maybe a few minutes. Maybe a lot of minutes. 

He didn’t know. He kept waiting. 

The phone stopped ringing.

Finally, it seemed to be working. The colors in front of his eyes were doing something funky. It was like oil had been dribbled over the world, and the colors of the things in his house were running together like a cheap watercolor painting. The sound of his own breathing was loud in his ears. His chin was resting on his chest… maybe that was why his slow, labored inhale and exhale seemed so deafening. 

Adam felt a roll of nausea, and his body shook. He felt the physical need to cough, but he couldn’t muster the strength to do so. 

Adam felt warmth against the small of his back… the sensation of being touched, on his face. His hair. His neck. His head lolled back. His heart was so slow… he could feel each beat in his veins: heavy, tired, the silence between each one unbearably long. 

Why was someone yelling? 

It didn’t matter, but it was unpleasant. He couldn’t understand the words. They were all fuzzy in his ears, but that was okay. He didn’t care much to hear anyway.

He didn’t care about any of it now, which was the point. The point of doing this… of doing this something for… someone… it was hard to remember. 

Someone was jostling Adam’s body, shaking him violently. He tried to curl his fingers but couldn’t seem to manage it. 

He couldn’t feel any of his limbs… why didn’t that scare him?

The colors that were running together had begun to darken in their hues. Shutting his eyes didn’t seem to be making it better. 

Adam’s eyelids blinked sleepily once, twice, three times as the black began to encroach. 

As he was lifted from the tub, all the colors ceased. 

He knew no more.


	28. After

After, Adam knows that it’s for the best. 

It hurt to stand there, shoulders hunched, and grind out the words that would shatter Blake, but afterwards Adam knew that it would be the right thing to do.

Things had gotten away from them. Given the circumstances, it wouldn’t be good for anyone if they kept it up. 

It had to end.

“You don’t have to keep trying to explain it to me, Adam.”

He looks up at Blake. He takes in his detached, frustrated expression, and realizes that maybe he doesn’t.

The country artist is leaning against the wall of the foyer and staring at Adam in a way he never had before. It was as if Blake thought this was the last time they'd see one another.

“So you’re on board with this. You’re not mad?”

Blake shrugs. 

“Can’t be mad about losing something I wasn’t supposed to have in the first place.”

“Blake-“

“It’s fine, darlin'.“

Adam flinches. 

Blake corrects himself ruthlessly, cutting off the endearment even as it burrows into Adam’s chest and straight through his heart. 

This shouldn’t hurt this bad. 

Doing the right thing wasn’t supposed to hurt this bad.

“It’s fine Adam.” Blake repeats more calmly. “You’re gonna have a baby. This is good news.”

Blake’s tone is an attempt at lightness, but it’s only a shadow of the joy they should be feeling. Telling your best friend about your first son is supposed to be a big deal.

It’s harder when he’s also your lover. 

“I can’t keep taking you away from your family. You’re about to have a beautiful thing. We should’ve stopped a long time ago. It’s time to move on.”

Adam knows what Blake is saying is true, but he also knows how to look at Blake and see when he’s hiding a whole heap of hurt. 

“I just…” Adam struggles, wanting to say something that will lighten the blow. “I wish we had never-“

He stops, because no, that isn’t true.

“I know.” Blake placates, reading his mind with a rueful sad smile. He says the words Adam can’t get out. “I wish we had never crossed that line to begin with. It hurts so much more than I ever thought it would.”

“It was just supposed to be fun. A fling.” Adam says.

“Just shows how stupid we are.”

“Yeah. Stupid.”

Adam knows there’s nothing else to really say. 

He’d come over to Blake’s house preparing for anything. For tears, for anger, for one last time to soothe the goodbyes, but this willingness to let go hurts more than anything because he knows what it means. 

When you love someone, really love them, you let them go.

He takes a step towards Blake and the Southerner retreats back, his expression guarded. 

He’d only been aiming for one last kiss. 

That it’s apparently not going to happen… well… Adam can’t deny it feels like a blade going into his side. 

“Better not.” Blake says. “I can be strong for you Adam, but I’m not a saint.”

A shrug accompanies the words, but sad, anguished shadows around his tired blue eyes tell Adam how much he’s hurting too, how much this is leeching out of him. 

“I’m sorry.” Adam says. 

Blake nods.

The singer turns then, back to Blake’s front door. He’s half way there when Blake calls out to him.

“It’s not your fault.” Blake says.

“What?” He looks back at Blake, incredulous. 

Of course it’s his fault. 

It’s his fault that he’d cornered Blake that night last year when he’d been fighting with Bee, plying his soft lips with his own and knowing the kiss would be returned eagerly. 

It’s his fault that he’d taken advantage of Blake’s crush on him and blown it up into something much bigger and much more dangerous.

It’s his fault that devotion had sparked in Blake’s expression as they’d made love that first time their wives were away, after assurances from Adam that it was all okay, that it was nothing… what were a few trysts between friends? 

It’s his fault that they’d kept up their affair under the noses of everyone, even as he’d seen how far Blake was falling.

It was his fault that he’d pretended not to hear the soft ‘I love you’ whispered against his shoulder after another stolen night together wrapped up in the sheets.

Blake’s heart had been in his hands, and he’d been too greedy to stop before the man got hurt. 

Adam knows he is to blame.

“It’s no one’s fault.” Blake repeated. 

The country singer sounded resolved, as if he was trying to convince himself of what he was saying. 

“You can’t help who you fall in love with.”

After, when he’s back with his wife and listening to her make plans for their family, the guilt doesn’t hurt so much. 

The image of pained blue eyes fades more the longer he stares into Behati’s happy ones, so he tells himself it doesn’t matter. He tells himself that the feelings will fade. 

After, he tells himself it’s gonna be okay. 

Blake is going to be okay.

He has to be.


	29. Lock and Key

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and Adam get handcuffed together for charity. Pre-slash.

Adam tugged with all his might, keenly aware that he was on camera. That slightly uncomfortable prickling on the back of his neck when he was being filmed still had not gone away in all his years of doing this, but today’s idiocy was making it just a little bit worse. 

He felt frustration swell in his chest as Blake grinned at him, boots planted firmly on the ground. No matter how much Adam pulled, the country singer wasn’t budging. 

Carson, Pharrell and Gwen were all standing off to the side smiling behind their call sheets. 

Adam glared at them all, resentful of how the names had been drawn from the cup at the start of all this. He was positive that the producers had rigged it… there was no way he’d been paired with Blake by coincidence. 

“You think this is a fuuu…..“ Adam trailed off at the sight of Carson’s warning face, slightly chastened. 

Right. No cussing. 

This was a charity segment for the show that was being broadcast to millions across the nation in an attempt to raise funds for AIDS Research and Awareness. 

He had to behave. 

It was just really, really hard when you were handcuffed to your moron of a best friend. 

Adam tried tugging him again, attempting to ignore the slight pain in his wrist from pulling so hard for the past couple of minutes. 

“You think this is a freaking joke, cowboy? I have to go to the bathroom! For real!”

“What you are is real delusional if you think I’m gonna watch you pee right now. We can’t separate, and that’s just gross. Thanks to your little coffee addiction, you’re just gonna have to suffer. “ Blake snorted. “Man up. It’s for a good cause.” 

Adam stomped his foot in irritation, then immediately regretted it. Blake doubled over with laughter at the sight of Adam’s little temper tantrum, which in turn yanked Adam sideways, making him yelp. 

He tried to straighten out his clothes with his one good hand as Blake got a hold on himself. 

His preening made Gwen giggle. Adam rolled his eyes. At least there was some entertainment value in being tethered like animals for 4 hours. He looked up at the countdown clock the studio had brought in. The big red digital numbers showed about 2 hours left of this absurdity. 

The four of them had been subjected to a whole slew of “fun” obstacles and games as they were handcuffed to their partners. The way it had been going, viewers were making donations in the name of whichever team they were rooting for in the competition, and Carson had been trying his best to host the whole thing without giving America the impression that he had no control over the coaches. 

It was a lost cause at this point, Adam thought as he glared at Blake. The man was running his fingers through his own hair, ruffling his curls in a pretend gesture of vanity when in reality he was doing it just to piss off Adam. 

Because of their height difference, every time Blake lifted his hands up Adam’s arms were jerked upward slightly by the wrist. 

The rub of the metal against his skin wasn’t even registering at the moment. That was how focused the rock star was on how badly he needed to pee. 

“Blake. Please.” Adam hissed quietly. He tried not to feel anything more than mild humiliation when Blake paused and, realizing how dire the situation was, acquiesced. 

Adam began to walk quickly now in the direction of his trailer, not even bothering to wait up for his long legged costar- the result being his arm trailing absurdly behind the rest of him as if he was walking a particularly stubborn dog. 

He calmed down a little bit when he yanked Blake through the trailer door after him and locked it swiftly. 

“You didn’t have to tug so hard.” Blake mumbled petulantly. 

Adam cut over his friend’s bitching in a loud and bossy voice. 

“You stay right the fuck here. I’m going in there and the chain’s gonna stop the door from shutting all the way so you’re gonna talk about whatever the fuck you want real fuckin’ loud for the next five minutes, okay?”

“It takes you five minutes to pee?”

“BLAKE!”

“Okay, okay!”

Adam slammed the flimsy door behind him and scrabbled with one hand to try and undo his jeans while Blake began to drone on about (god help him) hunting. His plan fell to pieces fairly quickly. 

Production had cuffed his dominant hand, damn them, and if he didn’t solve this soon he was going to experience a new personal low concerning mortification and personal hygiene. 

“Blake, uh…”

“Am I not being loud enough?”

“No! I mean, yes, that’s fine, but not what I meant.”

“Huh?”

“Can you… can- I mean-“

“What?”

An awkward pause. 

“Adam?”

“I can’t get my jeans open! They cuffed my wrong hand, okay? …can you, uh, help me?”

Blake was silent for a moment. 

Adam stood there frozen in his shame before Blake bustled into the bathroom like nothing was wrong. His size immediately established his dominance in the small space, and it had Adam feeling strangely vulnerable.

He backed into the corner to give Blake more room, not really getting that this was a counterproductive move.

Blake reached irreverently for Adam’s zipper and suddenly the smaller man’s heart was in his throat. 

“If I wore jeans like these I’d probably have issues too.” Blake said absently. “They’re really tight.”

The links of the handcuffs bumped awkwardly as Blake helped him out, but even in this moment the Southerner seemed unflappable. Totally self-assured. It was kind of… attractive?

Adam tried to get his breathing under control. He tried not to focus on how the long, nicely tanned fingers looked really, really good against the waist of his pants. 

Adam couldn’t help but think in that moment that his friend had masculine, nice looking hands. That should be weird, right?

Right?

“Anything else, rock star?” Blake asked softly. 

Adam was blushing too deeply to look up at his friend, much less muster up a verbal response. He shook his head mutely. 

“Alrighty, I’ll be out here.” Blake scooted himself back out of the cramped space and began to whistle a jaunty tune. Adam knew the way his friend was blithely carrying on might’ve been purposeful, but it just showed how good of a friend he’d managed to find on this show.

This was as far as Adam allowed himself to take this particular line of thought… he had more pressing worries to attend to. 

“That was strangely intimate.” Pharrell said teasingly when the two of them emerged from Adam’s trailer a while later. 

Carson chuckled. “For them? It probably wasn’t that different from their usual.”

Blake looked untroubled. 

“What are friends for?” He smiled. 

In Adam’s mind, the image of his Blake’s hand grasping at his zipper wouldn’t stop replaying over and over and over again. His stomach felt full of butterflies. 

“What indeed.”


End file.
